The Fairy Contender
by Insane Dominator
Summary: One day, Nic Pularis is drawn into a sub-dimension, where he encounters Legendary Pokemon. He is entrusted with plates by Arceus and send to the land of Fiore, where he encounters Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Erza. He must go through multiple perilous journeys with his pokemon and the rest of Fairy Tail and triumph endure hardships to master all eighteen plates and save the universe.
1. Extreme Craziness

Chapter 1 – Extreme Craziness

**Hello people, I'm Insane Dominator, and I would like to thank you all for taking the time and reading my first story. I had multiple ideas stirring all over the place and I've decided to get them all out by doing some Fanfiction. I wish that you all like and favor this story. I'll welcome some feedback and reviews and criticisms, though the criticism part I wouldn't advise as much (I'm a sensitive guy, cut me some slack!). I'll be making an OC (Original Character) and probably have him pair with Erza (OCxErza), or OCxCana, but I think it'll be OCxErza. We'll see. Let's begin my first fanfiction, shall we!**

**Oh yeah! I would like to thank Alpha Dragonis and Gemini300 for the inspiration to do this fanfic. Yes, I'll be using the same intro, future apology to you guys. Now that that's out of the way, on with the reading!**

**WAIT! I forgot.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon nor Fairy Tail. They belong to Satoshi Tajiri, as well as Nintendo, and Hiro Mashima. **

**Finally, no joke, I mean it, let the reading begin!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 – Extreme Craziness<strong>

It was a little past eleven in Lumiose City. People were chatting off, cabs going about, people and their pokémon running about, even small bird pokémon flying about. Relaxing outside a café having something to eat was one person who would change the fate of another world. This was Nic Pularis. An average sized trainer who is 18-years-old. He had blue eyes and short black hair that was slightly spiked up and slanted to his right. He sported sunglasses that we wore on sunny days, otherwise they would he hanging from the V on his gray V-neck T-shirt. He had on a sleeveless long coat that went down to his shins that he kept unbuttoned. The coat was black with blue flames flickering on the back, reaching from the bottom to the top of his thighs. He had on roomy blue jeans and had earbuds and a phone for his music. He had black roller-skate shoes that had a red pattern all about. He also sported a Mega Wristband.

Nic was having a bottle of water and a little bagel. He was busy listening to his alternative music while his buddy, his Greninja, was sitting idly and relaxing in the seat next to him. Greninja was Nic's first pokémon. They've been traveling all around Kalos and have been everywhere. Greninja has even taken up Nic's personality, making them a duo that you can't beat so easily. After two years of having to travel around Kalos, and catching a few more Pokémon, Nic just thought of site seeing until something peeks his interests. You would think by now he would have a plethora of pokémon, when he actually only had six. He had those six and never caught a single pokemon afterwards. Nic thought his team was interesting, so he just kept them as they were and didn't switch anything up.

When Nic had finished, he got up and began walking. His Greninja followed in pursuit. He then sensed a strange feeling from his right. He looked and saw a dark cloud right around the corner of a side alley. Nic couldn't help but feel a shiver escalating and plummeting down his spine. It wasn't anything ominous of that sorts, but it was strange. He looked around and no one was looking. People were too busy getting stones from the Stone Emporium, new clothes, and getting their Furfrous trimmed.

Nic turned to Greninja, who had the same feeling. Regardless, they decided to tackle this strange feeling head on. They turned towards the side alley and went in blind, literally. They both had a hand on their eyes so they wouldn't have to see if it was a potential scary monster. They pressed onward until they hit the wall and fell on their backs. They then had their hands drop from their eyes and sighed.

"Note to self: Don't go in blind." Nic said out loud. Greninja just croaked his name and both were up again and turned the corner to see that the black spacial cloud of darkness was calling out to him. He could feel himself quiver. He had to shake this off. He took in a few deep breaths and plugged in his earbuds to relax himself. He then walked into the darkness rather slowly, with his Greninja right behind him. As they went further, they looked back and noticed that the alley was gone. They were literally in the dark. Nic still had his earbuds in so he was still at ease, though not as much.

When they've decided to stop after thirty seconds of entering, and began hearing things; well, just Greninja since it wasn't listening to anything to ease its worries.

"At last. Nic Pularis has arrived." One voice said.

"Eh, I don't think he's listening to us." Pointed out another voice.

"What?! Ugh, fine. GREETINGS HUMAN!" the first voice yelled. This caused Nic to jump as he heard 'greetings human' loud and clear. He looked about and put his earbuds back into his pocket.

"I believe we have his attention now." Said a third voice. Out of nowhere, three spheres of energy began emerging from the darkness. One pink, one yellow, and one blue. In that order, they took the shape of a triangle. Then three pokémon were shaped from those energy spheres. The three were Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf (in that order again).

Nic was mentally freaking out. He wasn't prepared for this. His mind was shuddering, shaking, causing a mental eruption of screams and questions, etc. After a few moments, he was slowly composing himself and he looked up at the three pokémon.

"Before I continue on with my mental breakdown, can I ask you three something?" Nic wondered in a calm status.

"Sure, what?" replied Azelf.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS DECENT AND GOOD IN THE UNIVERSE IS GOING ON HERE?!" shouted Nic in a panic.

"Funny you should mention the universe", said Azelf, "We'll get to that shortly."

"Relax Nic", informed Mesprit, "We're just going to take this nice and easy. We will bring no harm to you nor your friends. We assure you." Nic started to feel at ease with how gentle Mesprit's voice was. If she meant they would bring no harm, then what's the harm in believing she meant no harm? It's all too confusing. Too much 'harm'! (Hah, irony.)

"Okay, so why are you guys here? Better yet, why am I here?" questioned the confused human. Greninja said his name and raised his hand, not wanting to be left out. "And him as well." Nic added.

"Good questions", said Uxie, "First, we are here because we are in need of your aid, which also answers your second question."

Nic was understanding with Uxie, considering it was the 'Being of Knowledge'. "Okay…"

"But if you wish to speak any further", Uxie continued, "You'll have to take it up with the others."

Nic wasn't following. "Others? You mean the two that are right there?" he asked, pointed and referring to Azelf and Uxie.

"No. He means these two." Azelf said, floating out of the way. Mesprit and Uxie also scattered. Nic and Greninja were getting the feeling that Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf weren't the only ones present.

Two large figures then began to take shape. They started as blue and pink dust and once they'd took shape they began to flash, forcing Nic and Greninja to look away for a brief moment. When they'd looked back, they were trembling and wide eyed at the two legendary pokémon. The blue one was a large four-legged being with a diamond on its chest. The pink one was a bipedal being with two pearls on its shoulders.

"Greeting human, I am Dialga." The large blue pokémon announced.

"And I am Palkia." The pink one finished.

It was one thing to mentally freak out, but Nic was taking all of that stuff that was stuffed in his head and multiplied it by 700 billion (a random number). He was on his knees, begging for mercy. "Have mercy, creatures of the beyond!" Nic prayed. Greninja was trembling and was sitting still like a petrified statue. "I admit everything! I never learned to make a fire, so I used the tail flames of Charizard every night! I forget to clean my pokémon's' food bowls and have them eat out of them again! And I accidentally stepped on Greninja's tongue last week with a muddy shoe when he was out like a light!" Nic pitifully admitted. Greninja almost immediately shot straight up and shuddered at the thought of eating out of a filthy bowl. It was especially mortified that his trainer stepped on his tongue with a muddy shoe, which almost made the Ninja Pokémon gag and gave his trainer an unmerciless death glare.

Nic looked up at his buddy and got up. "Hey, that was only one time." Nic stated in defense, holding up a finger that meant number one. At this point, the two almost forgot they were in the presence of legendary pokémon.

The two pokémon looked at each other and sighed. Dialga then looked down at the two and let out a deep breath. "Though that is highly comical, and pitiful to admit, we are here to debrief you on a situation that involves you." Nic and Greninja then refocused their attention back to the legendary Dialga and Palkia. Seeing as they needed him, he wasn't willing to decline, though he still wondered what they needed from him.

"Eh…sure, but what exactly is this predicament?" Nic wondered.

"Here's what's happening", Palkia continued, "Arceus is slowly losing his powers, meaning that the universe will soon collapse upon itself. He has reason to believe that entrusting the plates he kept all this time to a human will restore that balance." Upon hearing that lives are at stake, Nic switched to a rather determined look and got serious.

"Alright, and he believes that _I _can be entrusted with these powers?" wondered Nic.

"That is correct", Dialga said, "He has explained to us that he has sensed great potential in you. He has been keeping an eye on you, and has concluded that you and your pokémon act as one." Nic then turned to Greninja, who had a blank expression much like Nic. Arceus wasn't wrong there. Nic was looking into a mirror image of himself. "Also", Dialga continued, "He has told us that because of this power between you and your pokémon is strong enough to handle and control the power of the plates he plans on bestowing you." Nic didn't argue, though he was still curious on how this will work.

"Uh, sure thing." Nic replied. He then had a thought ring a bell in his head. "Hold up. Exactly how are these powers going to work in a human like me?"

"You'll be alright", explained Mesprit, "The plates will bring no harm nor damage to your life; however, your body can only suppress and manipulate five plates at this point. You will pick a type of plate and it will be inherited to you. The rest of the plates after that will be unlocked or will be searched for throughout your mission. As an added bonus, you can use pokémon moves based on the plate that you have chosen, and your appearance with those plate changes will also change, though not to a great degree."

Nic was so pumped now. He was almost jumping up and down at the thought of being able to use actual pokémon moves. He pictured himself using Hydro Pump, Sludge Bomb, Hammer Arm, Strength, even the accursed Tickle attack. He thought he could conquer anyone who threatens him or his pokémon or family.

Snapped back to reality, Nic nodded. "Let's do it." Nic responded. A golden light then slowly descended from above. It slowly then stopped right above Dialga and Palkia. The light then began to shape and Arceus was revealed. Though, when the two stated Arceus was losing power, they'd forgot to mention that his life was losing strength as well. Arceus looked pale and exhausted.

"So, at last human", the almighty pokémon said, "We meet. I want you to be aware of the circumstances of taking up this mission. Once you've accepted, there's no turning back. The fate of the universe rests in your hands. You can turn back now, but this is your only chance." Nic shrugged off any doubt clogging up his decision. There was no way Nic was gonna stand by and watch as the universe falls apart.

"If I turn back now, then your efforts would have been for nothing. I'll do it." Nic proclaimed. Arceus then nodded.

"Very well then." Arceus then summoned forth eighteen plates, all revolving around him in a clockwise manner. "You may choose five. The rest will be unlocked or searched for later."

Nic then gave deep, deep thought. He had to figure out a way so that he could have a strong start. He decisively thought of the natural elements he might face. He also considered the possibility of no electricity, meaning his phone holding all of his songs would die out. He considered the possibility of being at sea, and being stuck in a desert. His imagination went wild, but he soon came to a decision.

"Ok…I choose Water, Electric…Fire…Flying…" Nic really didn't think all that way through, so he thought of a random type, "…and Poison." Nic finished. Five plates of blue, yellow, red, sky blue, and purple all converged and were infused into Nic's body. Already, he could feel his body changing. He felt those five types surge and lay dormant within him. '_This feels absolutely incredible. It's like I can feel the power and moves rush into my head.'_ He thought.

"Palkia, explain to Nic here where he will be heading to for his powers to evolve." Dialga politely asked.

"Wait, you mean that I'm going to another world?!" exclaimed Nic. Greninja was awed at this astonishing turn of events.

"That's correct, young heir of the plates", explained Palkia, "I will tell you as to what is ahead of you. In a land far, far away lies the kingdom of Fiore, a small, peaceful nation of seventeen million, and a place filled with magic. Found in every home, bought and sold in everyday marketplace, for most, magic is merely a tool, a mundane part of everyday life. For some, however, magic is an art, and have devoted their lives to its practice. These are the wizards. Banded together into magical guilds, they apply their skills in search of fame and fortune. Many such guilds dot the landscape of Fiore, but there is a certain guild in a certain town that soars high above the rest, one from which countless legends have been born. A guild that will no doubt continue to create legends well into the future. Its name…is Fairy Tail." Palkia stated much like a narrator.

Nic was just dumbfounded. _'Geez, did it really take him this long just to say that it's Fairy Tail?'_ Nic thought. Nevertheless, he recalled there being magic, which peeked his curiosity. "Wait, when you say magic, you mean like sorcery and spells?" Nic wondered.

"That is correct. This is where you will grow and live to harness your powers." Stated Arceus, barely able to say such things in a horrible condition.

"So will my power be affected by their magic?" wondered Nic.

"Fortunately, their magic will not suppress yours because it's not magic you're using. Remember, this is the power of plates that govern the pokémon and history. You would be wise not to blab this out to all of Fiore, for there would be great hysteria upon us all."

Nic responded with a nod. "I'll do my best." Nic swore. With that said and done, Palkia and Dialga emitted auras and the plates began to orbit around Nic. Nic returned Greninja back to his poke ball and saw that the plates formed a large ring at his feet.

"Before you depart, let us tell you something", Arceus said, "The time is parallel in both worlds, so it's not like one day in Fiore is equal to six months on your world if you were worried about that; also, keep in mind that we cannot be of any help to you from this point forward. As of now, the rest is up to you." The ring then glowed and made Nic fall, making him fall from the sky.

"WAAAHHHH!" screamed Nic as he plummeted downwards. The portal then closed, having the plates go to Fiore and/or deep inside Nic to unlock.

Azelf just floated there thinking. "Do you think we could have transported him to the ground rather than the sky?" he questioned. Everyone was just silent thinking, _'Uh…'_

Nic was screaming for his dear life. He didn't expect to start out like so. "They could've just transported on the ground, BUT NO!" Nic was shouting in midair. He then saw that he was coming in pretty darn fast and was falling into what looked like woods. He was several miles up, and he was screaming and swearing that if he lives he'll get back at them for transporting him through the sky.

Nic thought fast. He got out a poke ball and threw it straight down. "Charizard!" Nic yelled. The flaming dragon then popped out of the ball through a light and caught Nic to prevent him from falling. Nic huffed and puffed. He finally caught his breath and sighed in relief. "Thanks Charizrd, _please_ take me down." Nic commanded the Fire and Flying type Pokémon. Charizard then slowly came at an angle and finally made a soft landing in a forest clearing. Nic rolled off the Flame pokémon's back and fell on the ground with his face watching the clouds go by. After composing himself, he returned Charizard and looked about.

"Well, guess I should start walking." He said. He flipped open his sunglasses that were on his V-neck and put them on. He recalled as he was descending a town that was not too far off from where he was. This then got him some worry. "I hope nobody saw any of that." He hoped, thinking people would get suspicious; fortunately, no one was around, so he was in the clear. With that thought brushed aside, he made his way to town.

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><p><strong>Later that day…<strong>

Nic finally made it to town called Hargeon, where he decided to think as to where he was meant to go. He then did a mental recap, and Palkia did mention something about this place called 'Fairy Tail', so he decided that he would start off by heading there.

Just before he was going to head there, he then remembered also that since this a new world people won't realize that he doesn't use magic. He then thought that his "magic" would be called Multitype. If anyone calls it something else, he won't care. He also had to keep his pokémon low key since people aren't associated with them here. He then gathered some intel and went to find a map of sorts.

Upon walking about, he then noticed a rather large group of girls surrounding this one guy. They keep saying "Salamander! He's here!" He had to admit that he was getting a bit curious of this commotion. He then proceeded to get closer. I was at the back of the crowd of girls when a blonde was slowly walking towards him. All of the women had heart filled eyes, including the blonde. _'Perhaps he's just a famous wizard_.' Thought Nic. Out of the blue, a pink haired boy with a sleeveless, gold trimmed, black waistcoat that was open and untucked, a thick black wristband on his left wrist. He also sported white knee-length trousers, a scarf around his neck, and had a lot of stuff carried on his back.

"It's me-!" he shouted, but stood shocked that it was the wrong person. Just then, the blonde flinched, though Nic didn't wonder why. "Who the heck are you?" the pink haired boy asked dumbly, shocking this "Salamander". Just then a group of girls were beginning to attack him, saying how rude he was. Nic's first instinct was to aid in this boy's need, but then recalled he had to keep his profile down. Salamander then eased them by saying he didn't mean it, to which they returned with heart filled eyes.

Nic then noticed that the blonde from before had a look of animosity. What was admiration turned into bitterness. Nic didn't want to get involve anymore and wanted to just bail. Before so, he saw Salamander giving the pink haired boy an autograph.

"No thanks." He said, which gave him another horrific all-female thrashing. As he was twitching by some garbage bags, the small blue cat with big eyes, a white belly, and a green sac looked back at this "Salamander".

"Guess it wasn't him after all." Said the cat. Nic raised a brow, for a _cat_ was talking! Then again, Chatots could do partial human speech as well, so he wasn't too shocked by this event. Salamander then snapped his finger and was standing on a tower of pink fire.

"I'm having a little sware at my yacht tonight and you're all invited!" He openly announced before departing, riding the flames to who knows where. The ladies then went away, leaving the cat, the boy, the blonde, and Nic.

"Who the heck was that guy?" the boy wondered. I then decided to walk up to him, and the blonde was doing the same.

"If I knew, I would tell ya." Nic said.

"Uh, thank you for your help." The blonde said, which made the boy wonder what he did.

Awhile after that, the girl took the two guys and cat to a restaurant, where they all dined on the stuff she ordered; although, it was mainly Natsu and Happy who chowed down. Nic eventually learned that the blonde's name was Lucy. She was shocked to see the food get wolf down so fast and sighed.

"Uh, I guess it's my turn for intros then. I'm Nic." Nic said. Lucy then explained that this "Salamander was using Charm Magic, a magic that was banned for a long time now, which made the ladies fall in love with him. The only thing that came to Nic's mind at that moment was that something similar like that occurred in his world. It was the move Attract, though this had no affiliations with Salamander.

"I really can't thank you guys enough." Lucy said.

Natsu was stuffing food into his mouth and mumbling out "No problem" with food in his mouth.

"I may not look like it, but I'm a wizard to, though I'm not a member of a guild yet." She then just began to ramble on about Sorcerer's Weekly and hopes that she'll join a very special guild someday. "Oh yeah, you guys came here to find somebody, right?"

"We're looking for Igneel." Happy said while Natsu devoured a pizza.

"Is he a person?" Nic wondered.

"Nah you got it all wrong. He's not a person he's an actual dragon." Natsu explained. Lucy was heavily baffled by this, while Nic just flinched. Nic was stunned that dragons were around, but then recalled he's seen a bunch of Dragon Type okémon. He'll believe anything at this point. After Lucy paid for the food, she made her way out. Natsu and Happy were bowing their heads in respect.

"Thanks for the food!" Natsu said.

"You're embarrassing me!" Lucy exclaimed. "Let's just call it even since you've helped me out." Lucy then departed. Nic had a strange feeling, so he went by instinct and departed as well.

"See you guys later." Nic said, waving bye to Happy and Natsu. He then walked about town for a little bit and saw that Lucy was sitting on a bench reading Sorcerer's Weekly and saying how she'll one day join Fairy Tail.

Just then Salamander showed up and Nic got out of sight. "What's that, you want to join Fairy Tail?" Salamander asked Lucy. "I just came by and wanted to personally invite you onto my yacht tonight." He said with a charismatic smile, to which Lucy rejected.

"Your Charm Spell won't work on me! I'm aware of its use, so I'm unaffected!" Lucy pointed out. She then turned her back and rejected the invitation.

"You want to join Fairy Tail, don't ya?" he asked. This got Lucy's attention again. He then had on his charismatic smile. "Tell me, have you ever heard of Salamander?"

"Wait, you're telling me you're Fairy Tail's famous Fire wizard. Salamander?!" Lucy demanded.

"That's right, and if you come I'll put in a good word for ya." He said, to which Nic thought as a lie. Lucy then fell for his trick and she accepted the invitation.

After all of that was settled Lucy was prancing about, satisfied she'll get into Fairy Tail. Once those two were out of sight, Nic came back into view. _'I'll have to keep an eye on this 'Salamander'.'_ Thought Nic.

That night, Natsu and Happy were watching the yachy leave, which reminded Natsu of his motion sickness.

"Ah, c'mon. It's not like we're going to board it or anything." Said Happy. They then looked over and saw a few girls talking about this 'Salamander'.

"I wish I'd gone to his party." "Me to. To think, a wizard that uses Fire Magic in Fairy Tail." The girls chatted. Natsu heard of Fairy Tail, and he instantly looked back at the yacht, of which made him think of his motion sickness again.

Nic was able to hide away on the side just before it set sailed to who knows where. He was able to evade detection and he tried to find his way to where Lucy and Salamander were. Once he'd found them, he stayed hidden. He saw how Lucy was able to see through his Sleep Magic that he was trying to use on her.

Just then, his men had all of the women on board had women on their shoulders.

"Wha-What is this?!" Lucy demanded.

Salamander was chuckling, and his charismatic smile had just turned sour. "Welcome aboard." He said. Lucy was then rid of her keys and they were thrown out into the sea. "I had no use for those since Celestial Spirits were contracted to you." Lucy then began to sob.

Just then, Nic sprang into action. He busted down the door he was hiding behind and began cracking his knuckles. "Alright. Who wants the first punch to the face?" Nic asked. Natsu then crashed through the roof right by Nic. Natsu wasn't too thrilled with Salamander sullying Fairy Tail's name. "You're just in time for the fun part." Explained Nic. Just then, Natsu was overwhelmed with motion sickness and a sweat drop was on Nic's face. "Uhh…very well then." Nic mumbled. He then turned and saw Happry carry Lucy with his tail and flew off. "Lucy! Happy! Get the keys! I'll take care of them here!" shouted out Nic.

Lucy was then taken away by Happy who could fly. "Wait, since when did you have wings?!" shouted Lucy.

"Now's not the time!" explained Happy as he flew off with Lucy. Now it was Nic, along with a motion sick Natsu, against a really large number of bad guys.

"Okay. It's time we get this party started." Nic said. He then began to change. He summoned forth the power of the Toxic Plate. He was glowing a light purple and the glow faded. Nic's black sleeveless coat with blue flames was now dark purple with light purple bubbles coming up from the bottom. His gray V-neck was now violet and collarless. His sunglasses had a light purple casing around the lenses instead of black and yellow. His eyes also changed to purple. His roomy jeans grew a dark shade and his shoes were now patterned with black and light purple with tiny spikes on the bottom.

The men recoiled as they have never came across this sort of magic. "Wh-what kind of Take Over Magic is that?!" one of them stuttered.

'_I see. So people call it Take Over Magic here. Very well, but this Multitype sure feels strange, yet so cool.' _Thought the poisonous utilizer. He then took a step forward in front of Natsu so that he doesn't get caught up in the attack. _'Let's give it a shot!' _He then stepped forward and took in a big breath. "**Acid Spray!**" A large volume of acid then came gushing out of Nic's mouth. The attack nearly got the members. They scooted back as they saw the acid burn up the floor. Nic then wiped his mouth. "Not bad, but let's see what happens when you're out of room."

His constant use of Acid Spray caused the men to go to the deck. Nic had Natsu on his shoulder and still felt nauseous.

"Please stop! Don't vomit another drop or I'll lose it for sure!" Natsu muttered. Nic then sighed and just let Natsu down. Nic then turned back at Salamander and his men and smirked, thinking this was pretty cool.

Out at sea, Happy and Lucy finally got away, only for Happy to run out of Aero Magic. "Uh oh!" Happy cried as he and Lucy took a dip into the sea. Lucy opened her eyes and saw her keys on a rock. She swam over and retrieved her keys. She and Happy finally resurfaced and gasped for air.

"**Open: Gate of the Water Bearer – Aquarius!**" Lucy then inserts the key into the water and turned it, making a gate open. Aquarius then appeared before their eyes. She was a mermaid with blue hair, eyes, and tail. Happy almost began drooling, thinking that she was a fish.

"Tsk." Aquarius also had a bit of an attitude with Lucy. Lucy wasn't that fond of her attitude.

"What's the big deal?! I summon you to help me, not give me an attitude! Now just get that ship to shore!" Lucy exclaimed, only to be given a death glare that shook her and Happy to the core.

"If you were to as so much lose my keys again, you're dead! Understand?" Aquarius threatened.

"Y-yes. It won't happen again." Lucy shivered in fear. Aquarius then summoned forth an enormous wave from her water vase (or jug, can't really tell) and had the huge wave rush at the ship.

The men on the ship were screaming, and Nic saw the wave come at him. "…something tells me that I'm about to get wet." He sighed as the wave swallowed the ship, and Lucy, to shore. The ship was in no condition as it was on its side and destroyed from the wave and the inside was fried from Nic's Acid Spray as a bonus. The girls that fell for his Charm Magic earlier were able to escape and flee, getting away from the hysteria.

Lucy was on shore and right next to Happy, whose head was buried in the sand and he pulled it out.

"Talk about overkill! You didn't need to wash me up ya know!" Lucy snapped.

"Hmph! Just consider yourself lucky that I wasn't aiming for you. Don't bother calling me because I'm on a weekend date with my boyfriend, and he's hot." Aquarius responded before going back to the Celestial World.

Nic was on the side of the ship, looking up at the starry sky. "Geez, talk about a washout." He murmured, also lightening the mood with a pun. He and Natsu finally pulled themselves together. Since they were on shore, Natsu didn't feel sick.

Lucy and Happy looked over at the two that were glaring heavily down on Salamander. Both were pretty irritated. "So", Natsu said, "You say that you're a member of Fairy Tail, huh? Then how come I've never seen your face before?!" Natsu then showed his Fairy Tail mark on his right shoulder. It was no question the symbol of Fairy Tail.

The acid was still coming from Nic's fangs, greatly annoyed that this fiend had the nerve to trick the innocent. "You lowdown scum", said Nic, "You tricked the people of this place, and you wanted to make slaves out of them?! How about we put you out of your misery!"

The men were trembling and couldn't move. "B-Bora! That's him! That's the real deal!"

"Don't call be that!" Bora retorted.

Happy then crossed his arms and glared at Bora. "That name, he's Bora the Prominence. He was once a member of the Titan Nose Guild, but was excommunicated for misbehavior and using his magic for malevolence." Happy explained.

"I don't care what you call yourself, but you've masquerade yourself as a Fairy Tail member. DON'T EVER MESS WITH FAIRY TAIL!" Natsu roared in anger. Bora ordered his henchmen to assault, but they were held up by Nic, who sprang into action.

"**Sludge Wave!**" Nic roared. His body was cloaked in some poison and unleashed a huge wave of that poison that swamped the men,knocking them all out. He then turned back to Natsu. "Your turn Natsu!" the poisonous wizard yelled.

"Be happy to oblige." Natsu said, jumping down and he began running towards Bora.

"**Prominence Typhoon!**" Bora then summoned forth a huge amount of energy and firing it at Natsu. Natsu didn't even flinch when he was hit, in fact he was eating the fire. Bora screamed like a sissy when his flames were eaten. "**Red Shower!**" He summons forth his Magic Seal that fired a multitude of elongated circles of purple flame. Natsu began running towards him, brushing off the attack as though it was nothing but flies.

"For the record, your fire tastes terrible!" Natsu commented and a flaming red seal appeared and Natsu began to take in a deep breath. "**Fire Dragon Roar!**" he then unleashed a huge amount of fire coming in fast. Bora barely dodge it, but still felt the intensity of the attack.

Natsu then saw Bora come in for an attack. Nic walked right up beside Natsu. He looked at him and smirked.

"What do you say? Shall we finish this?" He asked Natsu.

"Heh, sure." Natsu then made another quick seal and Nic straightened out his fingers in his right hand and seeping poison into them.

"**Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!**" Natsu yelled.

"**Poison Jab!**" Nic roared.

Nic aimed for the abdomen while Natsu got him in the face. The force of the two attacks send Bora soaring and crash into his ship with a thunderous thud. With all of that said and done, Natsu and Kale met up with Lucy and Happy.

"You did it!" Happy cheered, but was short-lived as the Royal Army was coming.

"It's the Royal Army!" exclaimed Lucy. Natsu then grabbed Lucy's wrist and began running and Happy flew in pursuit. Nic then turned golden and reverted back to himself. His wardrobe went to being his black coat with blue flames, his T-shirt a V-neck again, and jeans back to normal, etc.

"Hey, mind if I tag along?" Nic asked while running.

"Sure. Oh and, Lucy. You said you wanted to be a member of Fairy Tail, right?" he answered and asked while running. Lucy couldn't help but smile happily.

The four then proceeded and ran off from the scene and back to Magnolia.

* * *

><p><strong>Sometime later, in Magnolia…<strong>

The four finally arrived at the entrance of Fairy Tail Guild Hall. It was wood and a huge banner showing off the Fairy Tail insignia with "Fairy Tail" above its gate entrance.

Lucy was amazed at this. She's always dreamed of becoming a Fairy Tail member and she's only just a few steps away from doing so. "Amazing! I can't believe that I'm about to join Fairy Tail!" Lucy shrieked in pure joy.

Nic was pretty amazed himself, thought he distinctly remembered that he was send here to become a Fairy Tail member, and he's going to do that. He was still impressed with the way he and Naysu teamed up in that last fight. He actual felt like he was a pokémon. He felt great laying down the pain, though it was for a cause and not for the sake of fighting.

They all entered and saw that the inside was comprised of a lot of people in wooden tables and chairs. And there was even a bar that had Mirajane Strauss tending it. She was a model for the Sorcerer's Weekly magazine.

"I can't believe it! Mirajane in Fairy Tail!" Lucy was as shocked as a crazed fangirl.

"We're back!" Natsu yelled. He then went over and just slugged a guy in the face, making him fall to the ground. "That rumor was a fake!" Natsu roared.

"Hey, it was just a rumor! You just had to go and blame it all on me, did ya?!" The other member retorted. The argument quickly escalated into a fight, of which everyone took part of.

"So, it looks like flame brain is back." Said a voice. He was Gray Fullbuster. He had dark blue, spiky hair and had a necklace with a sword. He had on black jeans, but strangely nothing on the top.

"Gray, your clothes." Another person said. It was Cana Alberona. She had dark brown hair, a blue bra, some short pants and some sandals. She was busy attending to her barrel that she drank out of.

"Whoa. Talk about thirsty." Nic stated with a sweat drop.

Gray then began searching for his clothes and Elfman Strauss, Mirajane's brother, stepped in and joined the brawl. "A real man never backs down from a fight!" Elfman proclaimed. He was tall, had white spiky hair, had a slight tan, and had a long black jacket on. He also had a scar running on the right side of his face over his eye and had on sandals.

Out of the blue, Gray and Natsu send Elfman flying into Mirajane into a table into a wall.

"This is too annoying for me." Said Loke. Loke had orange hair, blue sunglasses, and had on a lime green jacket. He was sitting next to a few women and politely asked them to wait for him as he began to join the fight after being hit with a mug.

It was just too much hysteria, and this was not even two minutes in.

Gray then lost his underwear and Lucy was mortified to see him in the nude.

'_How indecent can this guy get?!'_ Nic thought and looked away. He just went over to the bar and just sat down.

Right next to Cana and plugged in his earbuds. Cana was just as annoyed. She then noticed Nic was sitting right next to her. She turned to him curious.

"How come you're not in on the fight?" Cana wondered. Nic turned to talk to Cana and turned the volume down so that he can hear her and his music.

"Well, I'm new here as well as Lucy. I prefer to not get in these sort of fights unless it's for a good reason." Pointed out Nic.

Cana looked back at the insanity and sighed. "This is guy I don't find the men here appealing, they have no class." Cana said. She looked as though she was about to throw a fit. She then brought out some cards and was about to make them stop. Nic saw this coming and held out an arm.

"Wait!" Nic yelped to Cana just before she was going to use them. He then got up from his seat and looked back at her. "If you don't mind, I think I'll stop them all at once."

Cana blinked once and she put her cards back. He told her to wait just a second. Since there was no one behind the bar, that meant people didn't have to see him transform, though Cana may be curious.

"What are you doing?" Cana wondered, seeing him crouched behind the counter. He then quickly glowed and had the Toxic Plate active once more. His appearance changed back to the light purple bubbles on the dark purple coat. Sunglasses had purple outline, collarless shirt, and somewhat spiky shoes.

Cana was shocked to see Nic transform this way. This left her flinching until finally speaking. "Is that a Take Over?" Nic then approached the massive fighting.

"In a way, yeah." Nic said. He looked back and smirked. "You might wanna find some cover, and take your booze with ya. You wouldn't want it tainted now, would ya?" Cana didn't question him and did as told. She took two barrels and hid behind the counter. Nic then turned back towards the crowd of fighters that were hitting away. "Okay, that's enough! **Sludge Wave!**" Nic unleashed a huge amount of purple sludge that got _everyone_; well, exclude Cana. They all were laying down on the floor, all drenched in purple and smelled rather askew. With the swiftest of movements, Nic ducted behind the counter and transformed back before anyone saw who did that attack. He glowed and changed back. He then looked at Cana, who raised a brow.

"Funny, you remind me of Erza." Cana explained.

"Who's Erza?" Nic asked.

"She's an S-Class Mage who always gets her way. If push comes to shove, she'll resort to violence and stomp all over us." This frightful image only intrigued Nic. He didn't feel threatened at all.

"Huh, I should see that in action." He wondered. Cana only had a sweat drop.

"You're kidding, right?" Cana said baffled. They heard mumbling and heard voices coming over. Quickly, Nic took action and created a façade. He had his music volume increase and laid back against the wall opposite of the counter. Cana caught on to his actions quickly, and drank out of her barrel.

Gray and Natsu came over and looked about and saw Nic listening to music and Cana drinking.

"Hey", Gray said, "You know who did that just now?" Nic noticed Gray and mute his music for the moment.

"Don't ask me. I came over here to get away from the fighting and go to my happy place." Nic faked, which Cana followed suit.

"Yeah. You guys are annoying, but he told me it would settle if I just ignored it, and it worked." Cana said. The guys sighed and departed from the bar. Cana and Nic then emerged from the bar and sat back down on the stools. Nic then gave Cana a grin that said "thanks for playing along". Her wink back meant "sure thing"

Just then, a large figure appeared. "**What's going on here? You morons almost wrecked the Guild Hall**." He boomed.

"Oh, hey Master!" Mirajane said, getting up. Nic's jaw dropped at the size of that thing, but soon dwindled down to an old man and Nic sighed in relief.

"Greetings." Master Makarov said in a caring manner. He made his way up to the second floor and looked down on everyone. Everyone was looking at him in anticipation. He then flashed out a pile of complaints on paper. "How annoying! Never ending complaints from the Magic Council! This is the most complaints that has ever been written! This recent one of how Natsu and some other delinquent have trashed a harbor!" Cana saw Nic gulp, and then she slightly giggled. Mkarov then continued. "All you guys do is drive me mad!" Lots of the guild members looked down in shame as to what they have done. Makarov then grinned. "…however…" he then had the pages torn up and shredded.

"I say screw the Magic Council. Now listen, Magic if found to be without reason, and we've come to gain reason because of that. Our magic is meant for greatness, and rules from the Magic Council just keep hammering us down, but these rules only suppress our potential and fail to have us grow as individuals. Don't be afraid of those knuckleheads on the council. Follow your beliefs and strive for the future, because that's what makes Fairy Tail Number One!" Makarov declared and everyone cheered in delight.

It was later that day when Lucy and Nic received their Fairy Tail insignias thanks to Mirajane. Lucy's was pink and on the back of her left hand. Nic's mark was on his back between the shoulder blades and was violet. The two admired their marks for a little bit.

"Hey, Natsu. Look, I have my mark." Lucy said full of pride.

"Congrats, welcome to the guild." He said nonchalant. Happy was too indulged eating a fish that was bigger than him.

Nic took the time and relaxed. It wasn't quiet, but it was unique. A fight could start anytime, so he had his guard up. Mirajane then gave him a light tap on the shoulders, which freaked him out. He jumped and got one foot in the air like a ninja. He saw that it was only Mirajane, and was at ease.

"Nic, I do wonder as to how you came to join Fairy Tail." Mira wondered.

He then came up with a simple lie, which wasn't a complete lie though. "Oh, I heard about this from an acquaintance. He told me Fairy Tail is an amazing guild that could help me gain potential." He said. Mira smiled.

"Well we sure are amazing!" Mira pointed out. Master Makarov then came up and talked to Nic.

"Young man, are you hiding something?" Makarov asked. He was seeing right through Nic's lie. The other members of the guild gathered around, obviously curious as to what the new member had to hide.

Seeing as he had no way out of his predicament, he then started to explain. "Well, this isn't like the Kalos region, that's for sure. And no, Kalos isn't anywhere near here. It's in another world."

Everyone gawked at this, Happy wasn't paying attention and kept eating his fish. Some members just laughed and some stood speechless.

"You don't seem paranoid, can you go into detail?" Makarov was intrigued by this turn of events, and still Happy didn't take notice. Nic took in a deep breath and explained from the beginning. He first had to explain what world he came from and what pokémon are and how people battle with them. He explained about trainers and gyms and the Elite Four and the Champion.

By this time the guild members that were laughing were just as curious as the other members. He explained as to how he confronted Legendary Pokémon and was told to master the eighteen plates, though he didn't go all that in depth so people couldn't freak out. He talked about how he made it to Hargeon and aid in Natsu and Lucy's fight, leading to the present. Lucy could understand, since Celestial Spirits are that way as well, but everyone else had some trouble following as to how the legendaries transported him.

"So, how many plates do have at this point?" Gray asked without a shirt on.

"As of now, I have 5. Natsu already took note of my Poison, and I still have Electric, Water, Flying, and Fire." Nic then told Gray to put on a shirt.

"But wait", questioned Levy, who was the leader of Team Shadow Gear, "Why did you decided to start with those? Wouldn't it have been wise to pick stronger plates to begin with?"

Nic then folded his arms and looked down. "You have a point, but I thought if where I was going was going to be much like my world, then I would have to get the types to best help me in common environments. If I were to end up in the sea I could switch to a Splash Plate and breath underwater. If stuck in air, I'd switch to my Sky Plate."

"Can you show us one of your Pokémon?" asked Lucy.

"Sure, but make some room first." Everyone then took a step back as Nic brought out a poke ball. Everyone was curious as to how his pokemon would look.

"Let's go, Greninja!" Nic shouted. He tossed the ball into the air and opened. A white light gushe out and touched the floor and took shape. The light disappeared and it revealed Greninja. People were in awe by this one. They've never seen anything like it.

"Doesn't look very appetizing." Happy commented.

"Is that really a pokémon? It looks like an overgrown frog." Said Natsu. Big mistake. Greninja took note of Natsu and Happy's comments and gave an unforgiving face.

"Look, you'd be wise to watch your mouth." Nic said. Greninja then unleashed a Water Pulse on the two by concentrating water to its palms. When the attack hit, Happy was dizzy and saw fish over his head. He then fell to the ground in a daze. Natsu was wet all over. Greninja gave a swift smirk and then returned back to its poke ball.

"That was a dirty trick!" Natsu protested.

"He's my first pokémon, meaning he takes after me; besides, I wanted him to be the first to see this guild." Nic explained. A fight almost broke out, but Nic just walked away saying he doesn't want to get involve in a mess that they have. This was let go and everyone went off to do their own thing.

Later, Romeo Conbolt, who's the young son of a wizard, was upset because his dad wasn't back yet. Natsu and Nic took notice, even Lucy.

"My dad said it would be three days and it's been over a week!" Romeo cried. Master Makarov was a bit worried to, but chose to not show it.

"Now boy", said Makarov, "Your father is a very capable wizard. I doubt that he would be given trouble up on Mt. Hakobe. You should learn to have some patience Romeo, now go home and wait for him." This didn't go unanswered as Romeo punched Makarov and calling him a jerk and ran of crying. Natsu just punched the request board and turned to leave.

"That wasn't very nice of the Master." Commented Lucy talking to Mirajane.

"True, but even though Master is right. Natsu barged off like that because he sees Romeo as himself. He had it rough worrying about his father, and he doesn't want Romeo to feel the same. It was rough for Natsu to find Igneel."

"Igneel", Lucy thought back to when Natsu said he was looking for a dragon named Igneel back in Hargeon. It didn't take long for her to put two and two together, "Wait…you mean that Igneel is Natsu's father?!"

Mirajane nodded. "It's a sad story. Natsu was taken in by Igneel, who became his foster father. He taught Natsu to write, the culture, even Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. One day, Igneel disappeared and was never heard of since. This made Natsu want to find him wherever a dragon is heard of. No luck up to this point."

Lucy then got up and left to look for Natsu. Nic was only a couple seats away and heard everything. He sat there in a deep trance. He thought of how _his_ parents kicked him out when he was fifteen. He became a pokémon trainer and never looked back. He doesn't want to have people go through what he went through. No support throughout his journey. He was all alone, except he had his pokémon, so he wasn't all that alone. He was in deep thought until Lucy was out of site.

"…" Nic got up and darted out.

* * *

><p><strong>Later…<strong>

Natsu was unable to move at all. He couldn't help but groan and cover his mouth. The carriage ride was to take Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Nic up to Mt. Hakobe.

"You're just never lucky when it comes to transportation, are ya?" Nic rhetorically asked. Natsu just groaned and lied down.

"Hey Nic, why did you tag along?" wondered Lucy.

"Ladies first." Said Nic being a gentleman.

"Simple, Natsu invited me. But he didn't invite you, why is it you came anyway?"

He thought about this and tried to put it all together. "I guess I wanna help Romeo. My parents rejected me after I turned fifteen, but even so I still don't want families to go through what I've been through to." Nic worded.

It wasn't long after that that the carriage stopped moving. Natsu then sprung up from his incapacitation.

"ALRIGHT, WE STOPPED MOVING!" Natsu roared, feeling all revived. As he and Happy were prancing about, the carriage driver told them to exit.

"Sorry, but this is as far as I can take you." He apologized. They got out to take in the scenery.

It was beautiful. Cold, frigid, snow falling down everywhere, violent blizzards. What more could you ask for? Lucy stepped out, shivering like a little dog.

"When did it start snowing?!" she exclaims. "It's a frozen wasteland."

Nic didn't feel much of a chill, though he didn't know why. _'Probably because of the Flame Plate that's keeping me warm.'_ He thought. Natsu didn't feel the cold either. Nic just assumed it was the dragon fire, but just left that subject alone and focused on the task at hand.

After a little bit of walking, Lucy had enough of the cold.

"Natsu, I'm freezing!" Lucy inquires.

"That's what happens when you where such light clothing." Natsu replies.

"You're one to talk!" she retorts. She then came up with an idea. "**Open: Gate of the Clock Consolation – Horologium!**" a giant grandfather clock then came from a golden glow. Lucy took the liberty and put herself inside his hollow inside.

"'Why on earth would Macao come to a place like this?' Miss Lucy questons." Horologium repeats, since no one can hear her from the outside.

"Why didn't you asked that earlier? He went down to take down a Vulcan, it's a big ugly monster." Explained Natsu, which made Lucy shudder in horror.

"'I'm going back to Fairy Tail!' she proclaims." Horologium interprets. Natsu, Happy, and Nic just continue on walking.

"'Be my guest' I reply." Natsu said, copying Horologium's way of talking.

"Aye." Says Happy. They then pressed on and try to find Macao, Romeo's father.

Just then, a huge ape like creature was jumping from the cliff above, catching Nic's attention.

"Guys above us!" Nic alarmed, having all three dodged the bog gorilla's assault.

"That's a big Vulcan!" Happy exclaimed. They then noticed the twenty-foot beast sniffing about and racing after Lucy, who was inside Horologium.

"Not so fast!" proclaimed Nic. He then had the Flame Plate activated, which made his features change. His eyes were fiery red, his jeans were charred black, his shoes were running shoes that were a pattern of red and yellow. His shirt was an orange V-neck, sunglasses still the same, and his coat was a pure red with yellow and orange flames flickering from the bottom.

Natsu was amazed that he could do such a thing. Other than the Poison transformation, this was the only other one he saw.

"Get back here, ya foul ape!** Flame Wheel**!" Nic then began summersaulting and being cloaked in fire at the same time, so he was a rolling flame. All the ape had to do was swat his arm at him and he went flying into Natsu. Both fell on the ground and into the snow. The Vulcan then grabbed Horologium and ran off.

"'Help me you two flaming buffoons!' she yells furiously." Horologium reiterates. The Vulcan got out of site, leaving only the guys to track them down. Natsu had Happy fly ahead and try to stay close enough to trace.

Eventually, the Vulcan had Lucy in a cave, though she was still in Horologium. The deranged monkey was prancing about in victory. And time ran out for Horologium and Lucy was all alone.

"I'm afraid time has ran out for me, Miss Lucy." Informed Horologium as he went back to the Celestial World.

"No! Please! Make an extension this one time!" Lucy cried hopelessly. The Vulcan then began to approach and then he was hit with a Flamethrower out of the blue. The Vulcan was sent back a few meters and gazed angrily at Natsu and Nic. Natsu then cracked his flaming knuckles.

"Where's Macao!" Natsu demanded. The Vulcan then swatted an off guard Natsu out of the cave and into an abyss. Happy then went back and flew down to get him. Nic then turned to Lucy.

"Don't just stand there! Summon a fighter or something!" barked Nic.

"Don't push your luck!" Lucy shouts and then brings out a golden key. "**Open: Gate of the Golden Bull – Taurus!**" A large bull, that was humanoid, then appeared with a big axe.

"Cow?" questioned the Vulcan.

"Get ready you banana perv, because Taurus is the strongest Celestial Spirit I'm contracted with!" exclaimed Lucy. Taurus then got hearts in his eyes.

"My Miss Lucy, you're looking as hot as ever, how about a smooooch." Taurus said.

"Oh yeah, he's also the biggest perv I know as well." Lucy sighed.

"My woman!" the Vulcan growled. This shocked Taurus out of his trans and made him all riled up.

"Your woman?!" protested Taurus, gripping his axe, "Them fighting words ya moooonkey!" Taurus then jumped and came down with the axe on the Vulcan. The ugly beast caught it just in the last moment, his two hands holding the sides of the blades.

Nic then thought it would be time for punch to step in. "**Fire Punch!**" yelled the flaming contender. The Vulcan then got out of the way and pushed Taurus into the Fire Punch, being dealt a serious blow to the face that knocked him out. He then plopped to the floor and was forced back home to the Celestial World.

"Oh man, that was stupid of me!" Nic cursed himself. He then looked back at the Vulcan who was smirking in glee of taking down the spirit. "…but still. That overgrown ape is fast. I'll just have to just match him then!" He was then cloaked in flames and began sprinting. "**Flame Charge!**" he then rammed into the beast and caused it to step back. When the beast looked away to see Lucy trying to find some cover, he has hit from behind by a surprise attack by Natsu and his Fire Dragon's Claw, which was a flaming kick. When the Vulcan fell forward, Natsu looked back up at Happy.

"Thanks again buddy!" Natsu said.

"Aye!" Happy replied. This struck confusion to Nic.

"I'm glad you came to join the smashing and all, but how come you weren't sick when Happy saved you?" questioned the fiery being.

"You've gotta be kidding me! Happy isn't a vehicle, he's my friend!" Natsu protest. Nic just nodded in understanding.

"Got it." Nic said. _'Boy, I walked right into that one.'_ He thought. They both then had just enough time before the ape tried to attack them. They dodged and did a double combo.

"**Iron Dragon's Iron Fist!**" Natsu roared.

"**Flame Charge!**"

The two attacks then hit the Vulcan, it flew back and grabbed hold of a stalagmite. It yurned and used the momentum to try and fly back into the two. Nic got out of the way due to his enhanced speed from two Flame Charge attacks. Natsu stood his ground and tried to push the Vulcan back. It was either Natsu or the Vulcan.

"Wait!" Nic muttered, having an epiphany. "Natsu can…" He then aimed at Natsu. "Natsu! Chow down!" Natsu then saw Nic unleash a Flamethrower at him. Natsu jumped out of the ape's way and stod his ground as he swallowed every bit of fire from Nic's Flamethrower.

Natsu wiped his mouth. "Thanks for the meal pal. Now I got a fire in my belly." Natsu said with a grin. He turned and saw the Vulcan coming at him. "**Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!**" Natsu's one punch send the perverted ape soaring and crashing through seven stalagmites and ended up crashing into the wall, out like a light.

"Y-you guys won!" Lucy cheered in joy. They all gathered by the unconscious ape as it was transforming back into a man.

"Macao!" Natsu exclaimed in surprise.

Nic and Lucy stood there just as dumbfounded as Natsu. "HUH?!" Lucy and Nic shrieked in unison.

"It looked as though he was possessed by a Vulcan." Explained Happy.

"Possessed? Vulcan? What is happening?!" Nic was just confused all over the place.

"Let me explain. Vulcan's thrive my invading and using other bodies, much like a Take Over." Happy detailed.

They all then skipped the chatting and tended to Macao's wounds.

"Don't you dare die on me! Romeo's waiting for you! Macao!" shouted Natsu. Macao then slowly opened his eyes and groaned. He was bandaged in the abdomen and a little in both arms.

"Heh, how pitiful", muttered Macao, "There were twenty of them. I managed to take down nineteen, but the twentieth got me. I'm too shamed to go back."

"Don't put yourself down like this", encouraged Nic, "nineteen of those big brutes is an accomplishment. Why beat yourself up? If anything, you'd set a good example for your son on how to go through a job, so how about we quit talking and get you back to your son." Natsu then grabbed Macao by his hand and took him home by having him lean on Natsu for support.

It was sundown by the time the five got back. Romeo was thinking of how some bullies picked on him and how he made his dad go on a job. When he saw his dad come home, he tackle him out of joy.

"DAD!" Romeo shrieked. "I'm sorry! It's all my fault!"

"Nah don't be. I'm sorry I worried you." Macao said.

"It's alright, because I'm a son of a Fairy Tail wizard!" Romeo cheered.

"Next time bullies pick on you, tell them this: Can your dad take down nineteen monsters all by themselves? Because mine can!" Macao said happily. As the two embrace, Natsu and the others ventured off back to the guild.

It was a good day for the team. Natsu and Happy venture back home while Lucy stayed with Mirajane for the night until she gets her new home in a matter of days. Nic was given a one night's stay in the guild. Nic had his Greninja out for the night just because he wanted to enjoy looking after the guild when it's dark.

Nic was lying on a table while Greninja was on another table, gazing up at the ceiling high above them.

"Tell me Greninja", Nic asked, "These past two days have been the most hectic in a long time. Natsu and Happy are a great team to be around, though Natsu can be utterly impulsive. Lucy and her Celestial Spirits are pretty amazing as well. To think I blew up a ship with a fire breather, ran away from an army, joined a guild, and teamed up with that Salamander to conquer a possessed man. What do you think's gonna happen?"

Greninja then turned his head and looked over at his trainer. "If I knew, I would tell ya." The Ninja pokémon replied. Both were frozen at this sudden development. His Pokémon just talked! Even this surprised Greninja. After a short paused, Nic just sighe.

"You know, there's some crazy things going on here. A talking cat that can fly, wizards that use magic, Celestial Spirits, talks of dragons and this Igneel. Heck, I'll believe in anything at this point." Smirked Nic.

"Seems legit." Greninja replied. Both then just gazed back up at the ceiling and drifted off.

'_I have a strange feeling that we're in for a wild ride.'_ Contemplated Nic, and the two then drifted off into a light sleep, awaiting for what tomorrow had in store for them.

* * *

><p><strong>How's that for a chapter. Again, apologies to Alpha Dragonis and Gemini300 for using the same intro, but I needed something to work off of. Everything was original and to what I could have detailed.<strong>

**I plan to have these chapters long because I can get a bunch of the plot in and I can. I plan to have each chapter as much words as I can manage, and I don't want to have the chapters to have that big of a word range (9K-12K).**

**I you saw, only Greninja and Charizard were introduced, and Nic's appearances on his Plate shifts seem to only affect his wardrobe and his eyes. More pokémon will be shown soon, and Nic will unlock/find some plates eventually. **

**Since this took me awhile, roughly almost a week (since I had a snow day, I got a huge chunk done), it's most likely going to be a little bit before another upload. **

**Again, thanks for taking your time and reading my first FanFiction guys, really appreciate it!**

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time: The Pain Train<strong>


	2. The Pain Train

Chapter 2 – The Pain Train

**Hey guys, it's a little while since I've updated. This chapter will just detail the Lullaby Arc, and what went on before. I prefer to leave arcs out that don't peak my interests, like the Daybreak Arc. Don't expect the OC to take part in everything. I have little to no favorites and /or reviews, so I would advise you to do so as it would make me a better story maker. Since no one has anything to say, I guess we can get this train rolling (Foreshadowing!).**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon nor Fairy Tail, they belong to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo, and Hiro Mashima. I do, however, own my OC.**

**To Recap:**

Nic came across an alley and began to talk with the Legendary Pokémon Dialga, Palkia, Arceus, and the Lake Trio. There, Nic found out he was to inherit the plates entrusted to him by Arceus, who was slowly progressing to death. Nic was infused with five plates to begin with and was send to the magical land of Fiore. He encounters Natsu Dragneel, Happy, and Lucy Heartfilia. The four then go up against Bora, who took Natsu's nickname 'Salamander', and beat him with no trouble. The group then ventures off to the town of Magnolia, where Lucy and Nic become Fairy Tail members. It wasn't later that the group then took down a Vulcan that was really Macao, Romeo's father. Nic learned that his pokémon could talk and fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2 – The Pain Train<strong>

After those insane events occurred, Nic and Greninja woke up early and decided to get some food. They got up from the two tables and scrounged for some ingredients. Fortunately, Nic knew how to make some tasty omelets. He and Greninja wolfed down about two omelets each, leaving the two satisfied with full stomachs. Nic was rather curious at this point about the town and the terrain, but then Master Makarov stepped inside the Guild Hall.

"Ah, morning Nic!" implied Makorov. He looked to see that Nic felt refreshed and ready to start his day. "I see that you're up and ready to tackle the day."

Nic just felt like scoping out the scenery; more importantly, he wanted to get out of town to the nearby woods to do some training.

"Uh, yeah", responded Nic, "Hey, I'm gonna go scope out the town for awhile. Tell Natsu and Happy and Lucy that I won't be here all day." Makarov nodded and walked away, leaving Nic to have Greninja return to its poke ball and walk out of the place.

The town wasn't too bad. The town had a population of 60,000, with a lot of merchants. He got a quick glimpse of the Kardia Cathedral, the food, and a bunch of other stuff. He only scoped the area for about a couple hours before he decided to go to the outskirts of the town. Nobody even knew who he was, so they didn't take notice of his absence.

Nic traveled about and came across nothing but open land, and rocks, and a lot of spread out trees, and more rocks. After finding a good place to stop and take a breather, he decided to test out his other plates.

"Okay", he said to himself out loud, "I think the Splash Plate should be given a go." He then began to glow, showing that he was about to change. His eyes were now an ocean blue, with his sunglasses on regardless. Those sunglasses were the same, but the casing of the lens was dark aquamarine. His coat was dark blue with light blue waves going from the bottom to his thighs. He had no shirt on, exposing his toned upper body. His shoes were now water shoes that were waterproof.

He cracked his knuckles and looked for an easy target to practice on. He found three medium sized rocks and took a stance. "Okay." He said, conjuring up the power of the Splash Plate. He made a glow from underneath arise, conjuring water that was surging all around him. "I summon the power of the Splash Plate to harness my potential! Let it drown and wash away all negativity that will come!" The surge then increased, making an enormous ring of water circulating at an alarming rate. "Come! I use this power for the sake of the universe!" He then focused on the three medium sized rocks. "**Hydro Pump!**" The water then made an aquatic mirror in front of Nic. The mirror then unleashed a huge spiraling torrent that shattered not only the three rocks, but made a tree timber. He wasn't close to being done. He turned and saw another rock the size of him. "**Aqua Jet!**" He was enveloped in water and lunged at the large rock with massive force. He went straight through and shattered it into a multitude of tiny fragments. He didn't take into account the impact it left on him as he was recovering from that sudden burst of speed into a hard object. "Ow. That's gonna hurt my shoulder!" Nic wined, but he knew wining wasn't gonna get him anywhere. He turned away and saw another rock a hundred meters away. He then conjured up some more energy and fired a boiling jet of water from his mouth. "**Scald!**" he impact caused the rock to crack as the attack made impact. It didn't take long after that for the rock to break apart on its own. Nic felt a little tired, but made no haste in trying to break some more things with water.

A good half hour rolled by, leaving everything around Nic either drenched or destroyed. You couldn't find anything dry within a three hundred meter radius. Nic was pretty wiped. "Okay…I think…I'm…good…for my Splash Plate." He gasped. His hands were on his knees, he could barely look up. He took a couple minutes to recover and stretched out. "Oooookayyy", He sighed while stretching his back, "Now onto-." He stopped and felt some sort of presence nearby, but it was a multitude of them.

Nic couldn't help but look around. He didn't find it in the forest, he didn't find it in the air, he even thought it was just his stomach telling him it was time to eat. He chose to ignore that feeling and walked about. He eventually found the exit to the woods and found the plain landscape with a road going horizontal to him. He thought it would be best to lay low in the shrubs and see if anything would happen. He waited for if that strange feeling would go away or not, of which it didn't. Then he saw some thugs coming up from the left. They were walking down the road. To his right, he saw a young person with a mountain of luggage taking the road up.

The thugs then saw this person and her stuff, and they'd just smirked. Nic could see their intensions were to rob this girl. He didn't step in just yet, but watched as the group of rowdy guys walk up to this young woman. He could hear them threaten her and taunt her. He looked to see if the girl was threatened, of which she wasn't budging.

Nic couldn't help it, but his heart stopped as he had just gazed upon the most beautiful woman he has probably ever saw in his entire life. She had long scarlet red hair and brown eyes. She had a voluptuous figure (though Nic knew better at a time like this). Her attire was a Heart Kreuz armor, a blue skirt, and black boots.

Nic had to ignore this ticklish feeling inside of him and focus on the situation at hand. Luckily, the Splash Plate was still active. The thugs were closing in on her, and that's when Nic stepped in. From within the shrubs, he unleashed a Bubblebeam that bombarded the thugs with continuous force. Some were out on the spot and some were still standing.

"Who did that?!" one of the more muscular thugs demanded. Nic then burst out of the shrubs and lunged at the thug.

"**Aqua Jet!**" Nic roared as he ploughed into the man, sending him flying and crashing into several of his own men. "**Hydro Pump!**" Nic then created a mirror of water and unleashed a monstrous and pressurized torrent of water, which send every one of them sky rocketing off to who knows where.

After all of that was finished, Nic sighed and put his hands on his knees. He was still tired from his training, so he hasn't had a lot of time to fully recover. Doing three consecutive attacks was a bit much, but he was still standing at least. Nic was drained and he glowed, signifying he was reverting back to his own self. He was too busy kicking those guys' behinds that he'd forgotten about the scarlet woman behind him. He was breathing heavily and regaining his breath.

The scarlet woman walked up to him. "Are you alright?" she asked. Nic got all the way back up and looked at the woman. Nic couldn't help but be more attracted to her up close. He still had to be on guard though. He didn't know who she was, so he had to keep his awareness levels at a high level.

"Yeah, I'm fine", said Nic, "Are you alright as well?"

"Yes I'm fine." She replied. She then up her hands on her hips and raised a brow. "You didn't have to do that you know? I could've taken them on with ease." She said in a polite manner.

Nic just shrugged it off. "I'm sorry. It was an instinct." Nic said. The scarlet woman then smiled at his sincerity. He was a raging fighter at one moment, and then a nice guy afterwards.

"It's alright. Thank you anyway." She smiled.

"You're welcome."

Something then made the scarlet woman wonder. "By the way, why were you in the shrubs?" she wondered. Nic couldn't dodge this one, so he had to tell her.

"I was training in the woods when I felt a weird presence coming. I followed my instincts and went and saw a young woman coming and a bunch of rowdy thugs coming the other way. If things got out of hand, I would've stepped in." explained Nic. She then nodded in understanding and went back to attend to her luggage. Nic thought she could use the hand in hauling all of that stuff. "Hey, do you want me to help you carry your supplies?" asked Nic, trying to be a gentleman.

She was in thought. _'He seems like a good guy. I'll let him tag along a little bit…but that magic, what was it? It didn't look like a Take Over, and it's not like my Requip. I'll have to keep an eye on him.'_ She then had him come over and haul the cart of luggage. He chose not to ask why she had all of this stuff, but did wonder as to where she was going.

"Where're you heading?" he asked.

She turned to him as he pulled with ease. "I'm off to Fairy Tail." She explained, which made Nic stop dead in his tracks.

"Fairy Tail? I go there!" Nic replied in shock. This made her turn around in surprise.

"You're in Fairy Tail?" she asked. Nic then turned around and pulled up his coat and shirt, revealing his Fairy Tail mark.

"Yeah!" Nic smiled, "I just joined yesterday. Me and this other blonde did so as well. I think her name's Lucy. Hold up, you go to Fairy Tail as well?" She then showed her blue Fairy Tail mark on her left shoulder.

"That's correct. I'm Erza Scarlet, Fairy Tail's S-Class Wizard." She exclaimed. Now Nic wasn't only smitten, but was in awe of such a heavily skilled warrior, though he then came to a realization.

'_Wait. If she's S-Class, then does that mean she's stronger than Natsu?'_ thought Nic, _'Natsu's already a flaming monster. Guess I should keep myself aware of her.'_ He then returned to pulling on the cart of luggage. "Guess my introductions are in order as well. I'm Nic Pularis, and I guess you can say I'm new to all of this."

Erza then turned to him confused. "New to what?"

"Magic. Guilds. Blowing stuff up. Do I really need a list for all of the stuff that I've been through the past three days?" he said. Now Erza was curious about him.

"You mean you never did magic? Then how come you did those attacks just now?" she questioned.

"Well, since you probably weren't there yesterday I should tell you…" Nic then explained all over again as to how he met the legendaries and came to this world with the powers of pokémon and how he had met Natsu, Happy, and Lucy.

When he mentioned Natsu and him teaming up to conquer Bora and destroying a harbor, she just sighed. _'Of course Natsu would destroy a harbor, but I never thought this guy could do as much damage. Still, his mission is like nothing I've ever heard of and that transformation he did confirms he's telling the truth.'_ She thought. And then he explains the events leading up to now. "I must say, that's an interesting story Nic", commented Erza, "I never would've guessed that another person from another world could do similar magic that I can do.

This made Nic jump. "Hold up! You mean you can use attacks to?!" Nic exclaimed. Erza looked away and thought of how her powers were correlated with his.

"Well, the only real similarity is that our outfits change. My powers can still differentiate depending on them though." Erza explained. Nic nodded in understanding.

"Ok." He then threw in a smile. Not a smirk, but a sincere smile. "I'd like to see that sometime."

Erza let on a light blush. Nic then mentally punched himself, saying he overdid it. He then shook his head and got back to reality. "Shall we press on?" he asked.

"Yes, I believe that's a good idea." Erza inquired. The two then decided to ruin the moment by pressing onwards. It was dark by the time they were a couple of miles off from Magnolia, so the two decided to make a fire, or Erza did. All Nic ever did was use Charizard's flame for a fire. While Erza made the fire, Nic stared off into space.

'_Man, I wonder how Natsu and the others are doing?'_ Nic thought. He then heard someone call for him.

"Hey Nic", Erza called out, "I got the fire started." He looked over to see Erza sitting on a log eating Strawberry Cheesecake, which intrigued Nic.

"Thanks. Erza, is that a cheesecake?" Nic questioned. Erza then raised a brow.

"Yeah, is that a problem?" Erza said is a threatening tone. For some odd reason, Nic wasn't scared. He got that she was tough, but her demeanor didn't make him shiver; then again, they were by a warm fire.

"Well, it's just that aren't sweets like those bad for your health?" He said. Erza just looked back down at her cake and thought about it. She then took a bite out of it again.

"Don't worry. I eat this stuff all the time, but I do appreciate your concerns though." She said with a small smile.

Nic smiled back. "Anything for a fellow guild mate." He then trailed off and saw the fire reflect off of her brown eyes. The light shining from her smooth skin, and the flames refleting off her scarlet hair, making her look like an inferno. "…wow…" he muttered. It wasn't until Erza looked up at him that he said it out loud. His brain finally caught up to what he said and he fell back in embarrassment. Erza knew he was gazing at her. She couldn't help but lightly blush at his combination of sudden sincerity and funny ways to avoid a moment. She smiled and resumed to eating her cake. Nic got back up, not wanting to say another word after his sudden embarrassment. He just gazed at the wood that was burning and drew a blank. His mind was as empty as his stomach. He forgot to eat something for lunch, but he just let that feeling slide, that is until his stomach unleashed a growl. He looked up in shock as Erza heard his stomach thunder about.

"Did you forget to eat?" She asked. Nic just looked down and sighed.

"Wel…yes." He admitted pitifully. Erza then finished the last of her cake and walked over to her luggage. She got out a whole entire steak she was planning to eat sometime.

"Here. We can cook this and eat." She implied. He didn't know what to drool at; the sight of that tender steak, or Erza. All he did was nod and they got cooking.

As they were preparing the steak, Nic tried to have another shot at a conversation. "So, Erza. What kind of magic do you use?" Nic asked. "You said your magic is a little like mine, but I'm curious as to what it really does.

Erza smiled. "Glad you asked that question Nic. You see, I use Requip Magic. Allow me to explain." Then she pulled out a board of diagrams from her luggage compartment. Nic was thinking this was school time. Erza then pointed a stick straight at his face and pointed it to the board. "Requip is when I use weapons that I keep in storage. Think of it as a bank account: you take some in, you take some out. My weapons go into what is called a pocket dimension, where it is 'stored'. When I switch out a weapon, it's 'requip'; however, I can not only can my weapons, but my armor changes as well. Each armor gives me a variety of abilities, and each one can use a variety of weapons to it." She explained this as she also used the diagrams to help aid in her explanation.

Nic got it. He understood. After that explanation, Erza stuffed it all away in a flash and sat back down. "Now, I do believe I get an answer from you. What's your power like?" she asked.

Nic knew it was only fair to answer back. "Well, you see this is how it works: Plates are infused inside of me, and each plate is different, all in all, there's eighteen of them. I can only unlock five at this point. Those five are Water, as you saw, Electric, Fire, Flying, and Poison. I can use attacks that are then related to the type of plate that's active. As you saw, I could only use Water Type attacks since the Splash Plate was active. The more plates I find, the more variety I have in typing." Erza understood thoroughly. In a way, their powers were identical.

The wind chill was low this evening. It was rather cold, and the fire wasn't doing much help. The strangest thing was that it was summer. Nic made a pouty face in a way that made him look like he was trying to concentrate. He then came up with an idea.

"I guess now's as good as time as any I guess." Nic proclaimed. He then stood up and got out a poke ball. Erza was curious as to what Nic was doing. "Say hello, Charizard!" Nic yelled. He threw the ball into the sky and the ball opened, bringing forth a light that went down and touched the ground behind Nic. The light took form and Charizard emerged.

Erza was wide eyed at this spectacle. "That's a pokémon?" she asked in shock. Charizard then approached her, curious as to who she was.

"Oh, don't worry Charizard. She's a friend." Nic explained. Charizard then turned towards Nic.

"Okay, but we all knew that because we can still here from inside our balls." Charizard explained. Nic nodded in understanding.

"I'm glad we can communicate thoroughly now." Nic admitted. Charizard nodded in agreement. Charizard just had its tail by the fire, making everyone that much warmer. Erza was so cozy she could just sleep right on the spot. Nic just wanted to eat, and Charizard wanted a piece of the steak. When the steak was done, it was divided up. Erza got a third, Charizard got a third, and Nic ate his share before anyone realized it. It wasn't long before everyone was fast asleep, with Charizard keeping them warm.

Morning came rather quickly and everyone woke up to see some light creeping up from the horizon. Nic didn't feel lie waking up, neither did Erza. Charizard was already up and found some berries to have for breakfast. Charizard was eating while the other two were rolling about, trying to avoid the sun. Charizard couldn't help but see how peaceful Nic and Erza were.

"Heh, love at first dawn." Charizard joked very quietly before resuming his breakfast. A few minutes went by and Erza decided it was time to get up.

"Alright Nic, get up." She said, getting to her feet.

"Someone hit the sun snooze button." Nic muttered, using his arm as a gesture for hitting an alarm. Erza sighed and went over towards his side and nudged his shoulder.

"It's time to get up. We have to get back to the guild." She insisted. Seeing that he couldn't fight it any longer, he slowly got up.

"Morning." He said.

"Morning."

The two then looked as the sun was beginning to climb up the sky. Nic then flipped open and put on his sunglasses, which made him feel good. Seeing the luggage, Nic had to think of something. Charizard gave a small belch, signifying the satisfaction of his meal. "Now I'm ready for a workout!" Charizard sighed in delight.

Nic then hatched an idea. He snapped his fingers and thought as to how this could work. "I got an idea!" Nic announced. Erza crossed her arms in wonder of what he was thinking. He then looked at Erza and smiled happily, which made her smile back. Nic then looked at his Charizard. "Charizard, fly Erza to Fairy Tail if you can." Nic commanded. Charizard then got up and stretched, ready to take action. Erza was shocked to see how or why Nic would do something like this.

Erza looked at Nic. "Are you sure?" she asked. Nic grinned at her.

"Consider this a thank you for the steak last night." He responded. Charizard then came over and hunched over, letting Erza climb onto it's back.

"It's okay, I won't drop ya." Implied Charizard. Erza then decided to take up Nic's offer and she climbed onto Charizard's back.

"I'll catch up later! Charizard, take it nice and easy for her!" Nic went over and hauled Erza's stuff back on the road. Charizrd then slowly went up in the air. Charizard went over towards the luggage and even picked up the large monster horn, showing his strength.

"You always go that extra mile, don't ya?" asked Nic. Charizrd just smirked and turned to fly with Erza and the horn in its claws. Erza held on pretty tight, but Charizard's done this before. He then began flying over towards Magnolia. Erza looked behind to see Nic pulling the cart. She couldn't help but think of how generous he's been.

'_Nic…he's got me smiling all over the place.'_ Thought Erza, who grinned.

Charizard flew at a low altitude so Magnolia wouldn't freak out. When they've reached Magnolia, Charizard came to a stop and descended. Charizard was aware that he had to keep a low profile, otherwise things would get out of hand. He put down the monster horn and had Erza climb off of his back.

"This is as far as I can take ya? Are you sure you can take it from here?" Charizard asked, hinting the monster horn.

"Don't worry, I'll be just fine." Insisted Erza. Charizard nodded and flew off to meet up with Nic. Erza then let out a huff of air and carried the horn all the way to the guild.

* * *

><p><strong>At the Guild Hall…<strong>

The guild was just as rowdy as always. Lucy was trying to find a job while Natsu and Gray were about to pick a fight with one another. Mirajane even transformed herself into Wakaba's wife just to make him stop flirting with her, which worked.

"Now let's see. What job to pick?" wondered Lucy, "Rent's due next week, so I have to find some money and quick." She then felt a mixture of warm and cold air behind her. She turned around and freaked out because Natsu and Gray were about to fight.

"You're going down flame brain!" proclaimed Gray.

"Says you popsicle!" retorted Natsu. They both were glowing auras and glared ferociously at one another. Before Natsu and Gray could throw any real punches Loke dashed right into the guild, all sweaty and troubled. Everyone looked at him to see what was going on.

"You guys! Terrible news! Erza's back!" This made everyone in the guild either shudder or scream.

"NO! Not Erza!" Someone cried out.

"Gah! Erza?!" Natsu and Gray exclaimed in unison, which then resorted to them glaring at one another for saying the same thing.

They all then heard footsteps coming. Natsu and Gray and everyone else just sweated in fear. Erza then entered the guild with the giant horn with a fierce and highly regarded demeanor in her eyes.

"Yo Erza-san, what is that thing?" Max asked. Max was a guild member that could use Sand Magic. Erza's one glare at him made him almost pee his pants.

"It's the horn of a monster I vanquished. The villagers were so grateful to me that they decorated it and gave it to me as a trophy. Why, is there a problem with it?" he said intimidatingly.

"N-n-no! No!" Max shuddered. Everyone else was quiet and quivered under her authority, all except Mira.

"Hello Erza, I trust things went well." Said Mira calmly said and smiles.

"Where is Master Makarov?" Erza asked.

"Oh, he went to a meeting to consult the other Guildmasters in Clover." Mira explained.

Erza then looked around the guild. "I've heard that this guild has been getting rowdy lately. Master Makarov may not care, but I do. This guild needs to get its priorities straight." She then began reprimanding some guild members for their habits. She scolded Cana for drinking, Wakaba for his smoking, and a bunch of other stuff that people do. "Macao, I'll let you off easy this time, but just because I got a good word from a certain someone." She said. "Also, there's a serious matter at hand. Normally, I would consult with the Master, but seeing that he's not here, I have no other option but to take action and act upon myself. Where's Natsu and Gray?"

Natsu and Gray then were hugging each other like they were brothers. They were both just terrified of her, so they had to be nice to each other to evade discipline.

"Right here Erza! Being the greatest friend that I can be!" Gray smiled wide.

"Aye!" Natsu said in agreement.

"What's with those two?! They're acting way different than what they were a minute ago!" Lucy exclaimed. Very quietly, Mira explained that Erza beat up Natsu a few years ago along with Gray for his stripping habit. Ever since then, the two have been afraid of her.

"It's nice to see you two getting along, although even the greatest of friends lock horns every now and again." Erza said.

'_Try always.'_ Lucy thought.

"Listen you two. This is very important. I could really use your help." Erza's need for help shocked everyone. Some even exclaimed that was inconceivable.

"The famous Titania asking for help!" "This must be big!" "Is this for real?!"

"Meet me tomorrow at the station tomorrow morning. Don't be late." Erza.

The two "friends" then looked at each other.

'_Natsu and I on the same team?!'_ Gray misbelieved.

'_Grrr, Gray. Why do I have to work with him?!'_ Natsu thought.

Mira then stepped in. "Erza, why not take Lucy with you, she's strong as well." Mira insisted.

"Wha-what?!" exclaimed Lucy. Erza then turned towards Lucy.

"I see, so you're Lucy. I've heard about you, how you aid in saving Macao. I look forward in working with you tomorrow." Erza said, which made Lucy quiver.

"I-I what?! Wait!" Lucy didn't have a single say in this matter. Erza then began to walk out and talked, but didn't turn around.

"Also…there's someone else joining us tomorrow." She then exited with her trophy. Mira thought deep with wide eyes.

'_Erza, Natsu, and Gray on the same team?! This could be the most powerful team that Fairy Tail has ever seen!'_ Mira thought.

Just as Nic arrived in Magnolia, with Charizard in his poke ball, he saw Erza walking up to him. He seemed rather pleased to have done something like this for her, even her ferocity didn't affect him. Erza stopped in front of him and grinned.

"I'm thankful for your deeds Nic." She stated. Nic just smiled as a reply. _'He sure does love to smile.'_ She thought.

"No problem, anything else?" Nic asked. Erza then got a serious look on her face, which made Nic feel serious to. Obviously this was important.

"I need your help. While I was away, I heard of something that troubled me. I'm having Natsu, Gray, and Lucy accompany me on this mission, and you'll be joining me as well. Meet me tomorrow at the train station in the morning. Be prepared." It was either the fact that Nic was going to spend some time with Erza, or the fact that more lives are act risk here, but Nic got a serious smirk on his face.

"I'm ready. I'll be there to aid in any way I can. You can count on me and my pokémon." Proclaimed Nic. Erza then nodded.

"Good." She then took her stuff and went away. Nic was standing there speechless. He thought that this was critical. If she was an S-Class Wizard asking for help, then this was a matter of upmost importance, meaning Nic had to be ready, though it might be easier said than done.

Nic just made the guild his home. If his clothes needed to be washed or cleaned, it wouldn't be an issue because everytime he switches plates his outfits are always refreshed. That night, Nic was gazing up at the ceiling alone. He couldn't help but think as to how to think of his simple training session led to him meeting a beautiful wizard. He chose to ignore that feeling for the rest of the night and went to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Morning at Magnolia Station…<strong>

Natsu and Gray were causing a big ruckus in the train station. People were coming in and out of the train station, and Fairy Tail usually uses trains for transportation. This was gonna be a bumpy ride.

"Why would Erza have me team up with a flaming torch?! There's no way I would team up with you!" proclaimed Gray, holding up a fist.

"I don't get why that Erza would want me to work with such a moron. I hate this!" Natsu fumed. Their blue and red auras collided, making people around them walk away.

Lucy was sitting and sighed because of this predicament. "Let's just way we don't know them." Lucy sighed to Happy, who was eating a fish.

"Why'd you tag along in the first place?" Happy asked with a mouthful of fish.

"Because Mira told me to and to keep an eye on Natsu and Gray if they start fighting when Erza's not around." Lucy explained. Natsu and Gray were glaring the other down. Just the slightest twitch could set them off.

Elsewhere, Nic was walking along and passing by people, some were leaving saying they saw a flaming boy and another man arguing. He guessed them to be Natsu and Gray.

Yesterday, Lucy met up with Nic near the guild. She explained that she was tagging along on the mission and she needed help in keeping the flaming lizard and ice stripper sane, to which Nic complied. Lucy was so relieved to have someone help her in taming two wild beasts.

He soon made it to the spot where they were suppose to meet. He arrived at the same time as Erza, with her huge cart of luggage. The guys immediately went to their friendship façade, both trying to be friendly.

"Let's do this buddy!"

"Aye!"

Lucy was just shocked to see that huge load of luggage. "Holy cow! That's a lot of stuff!" Lucy exclaimed. Erza then turned to talk to Lucy.

"So, Lucy, you're new I take it? Glad to have you here." Erza said. Though Natsu and Gray wanted to fight each other, they couldn't because Erza was there. Whenever she turned to look at them, they turned to their friend mode. When she was talking to Lucy, they would glare aggressively at one another. "Mira said you were strong, so I don't doubt her. I'm happy to have you on board." Erza stated, which made Lucy feel uncomfortable.

Natsu then took one short glimpse off of Gray and noticed that Nic was there as well. "Nic!" Natsu exclaimed in joy. Nic went over and gave Natsu a fist bump.

"What did I miss?" Nic asked in a cool manner.

Natsu smirked. "Heh, you missed a lot buddy. We went on this mission and tried to get this book called Daybreak…" Natsu went on about how he formed a team comprised of him, Happy, and Lucy. He then explained how this guy named Duke Everlue tried to stop them with some bodyguards, but ultimately failed. He then told of how the writer of Daybreak put a spell on the book that would rewrite itself. The son of the author, Kaby Melon was also borrowing the house to look rich. Natsu didn't accept the money because they didn't actually destroy it.

"Man, that's a lot of info buddy." Exaggerated Nic.

"It sure is. Oh yeah! There's one more thing!" Natsu looked excited when he said it. He then stomped down and got in a fighting stance. "Nic, I challenge you to a battle!" His flames were on fire. There was no question. He was serious. Nic took this by surprise, even Erza was shocked.

Nic contemplated for a few quick moments and his mind formulated a win-win situation. Nic then stepped forward. "You know, we work well together. Perhaps even more so than you and Gray, but try and prove me wrong." Natsu was confused. This even got Gray provoked.

"What are you saying?" Gray demanded.

"Here's the deal: Natsu I'll fight you when we get back to the guild, on the condition that you and Gray work together throughout this mission. If you can manage that, then I'll battle you when we return to the guild. Sound fair?" Ntsu wasn't moving an inch, as to where Gray was all over the place.

"What kind of a deal is that?! I can't work well if this flame brain is frying up anything he touches!" exclaimed an angered Gray. Gray may not have cared, but Natsu really wanted to take on Nic. The two were powerful, but they'd never knew what would happen if their powers collided.

Natsu was pumped. "Alright, you got yourself a deal!" Natsu said with enthusiasm. Now he was blowing flames up into the air. "I'm al fired up!" The train was then going to depart, and the team was set to go Natsu grabbed Lucy and Happy and dashed for the train.

It wasn't even a minute into the ride and Natsu was developing motion sickness. He wasn't doing so well. Erza and Lucy sat in one seat while the guys sat on the opposite. Natsu had his head on the window as he was trying not to barf. Gray was in the middle, Happy was in Lucy's lap, and Nic was on the end, so he could burst out of the train the second it stops, besides the fact that he would be ready to spring into action at any given time.

"Natsu, how stupid can you get?" asked Gray, showing no sympathy to his comrade.

"He does this whenever he has any transportation other than Happy." Explained Lucy to Erza.

"Very well, Natsu come over here please." Erza implored. The dragon slayer then threw himself in between her and Lucy, where Erza asked him to settle in and that's when she punched his lights out, making him fall onto her lap, much to everyone's shock.

"Uh, was that necessary?" asked Nic.

"This is so that our train ride won't be annoying." Explained the scarlet wizard. Nic then had a sweat drop.

'_I guess this is what Cana meant.'_ Nic thought. Even so, he didn't find Erza that intimidating. He just thought she was a good person with a different approach to certain matters. Erza also had a good aspect of Nic. Even thought she was shown to be violent at some points, he was still kind enough to do things of his own accord. A little while rolled by and Nic came to realize that he could figure out everyone's magic abilities. Lucy can summon Celestial Spirits, Natsu can use Dragon Fire Slayer Magic, and Erza can Requip, but he wondered what Gray could do.

"Hey Gray, you mind if I ask what your magic consists of?" Nic asked. Gray looked over at the curious member and then he held out a hand and act as though he was clutching something. When he released his grip, a three inch replica of Fairy Tail's insignia took its place in the form of ice.

"I use Ice Maker Magic." Gray stated. Nic nodded in understanding. Gray then turned his attention over to Erza. "So Erza, what's all of this about.?"

"Of course. I have reason to believe that a Dark Guild known as Eisenwald is planning something." She explained. I'm not sure, but I do believe that it involves the magic item known as Lullaby…"

* * *

><p><strong>Eisenwald Guild<strong>

Some members were chatting on when they'd gathered at the guild's entrance leading out. A gut with white hair, marks all over his body, and a scythe lead them.

"I heard Kageyama finally got that seal off of that Lullaby." Said a guild member.

"Took him long enough." Said an impatient member. Their leader slowly walked towards the entrance and smirked.

"I believe that the time has come. We'll soon be able to reach our goals. The Guild Masters will be too busy talking on and on at their conference to even realize what's in store for them." Said their leader.

"So Erigor, when do we depart?" asked another member. Their leader turned around and pointed his scythe at him.

"We leave now." Erigor said with a sinister grin.

* * *

><p><strong>Back on the train…<strong>

"I'm only guessing, but the guys that took Happy were probably involved with Eisenwald that dropped out when they'd wanted no part in this plan of theirs." Erza stated.

"Makes sense to me." Said Gray. Gray explained that he met up with Natsu and his team when they were coming back from a request. He then told that some guys were from Eisenwald and they were defeated by the team. The ex-Eisenwald members were then eliminated when the Eisemwald members found them. They didn't want this plan of theirs to get out to any others' ear.

"What do you think's gonna happen?" asked Lucy.

"Let me start from the beginning." Erza said. "I was heading home the other day after I completed a job. I stopped by a local pub where it would be a lcal gathering stop for wizards. These guys were talking on about their frustrations about the location of Lullaby and how difficult it is to break such a member then said he would be back within three day's time." Lucy was beginning to process this. She thought she heard that name somewhere before.

"Lullaby? That sounds like something you'd sing to a kid to make them fall asleep." Lucy said.

"Yes, and the fact that it was sealed away meant that it consists of powerful magic. I was such a fool. I'd recognized their leader's name just afterwards. Erigor, the Ace of Eisenwald. He's only satisfied with assassination jobs, which gave him the name 'Erigor the Reaper'." Erza explained thoroughly.

The thought of death by slaughter made Nic's skin crawl. "So you're saying he makes a living by killing. That's ironic, and not in a good way", Nic thought, "Is that why they were classified as a Dark Guild?"

Erza then looked at Nic. "Somewhat. When the Magic Council banned assassination jobs, Eisenwald chose money over authority. They were kicked out of their wizard league six years ago and continued being active to this day." She then pounded Natsu's head, not realizing it because she was too caught up in cursing at herself. "I'm such a fool. If I'd known Erigor's name that day, I could've pulverized the answers out of them." She scolded herself.

"Whoah. Okay, I wanna go home now." Lucy shuddered.

"Hey Lucy, why are you looking slimy?" Happy asked.

"It's sweat!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Don't beat yourself up over this", said Nic, "At an rate, if Lullaby was what Eisenwald is after, and they took assassination requests, if you try to put two and two together, then Lullaby must be used to cause a certain death." Indicated Nic. This shocked everyone. They never knew Nic could be so decisive when he's serious to the bone.

"You might be right; however, we can't confirm if Lullaby is even capable of doing such a thing, but that's a thought to keep in mind." Praised Erza.

"I see. Eisenwald is plotting something and you want to stop them, all because of what you overheard?" Gray said.

"That's right, and I'm not foolish enough to take on an entire guild all on my own. That's why I asked you guys for your help." Erza admitted. She then got a fierce look in her eyes. "We're storming the Eisenwald guild." This made Lucy almost drown in sweat, causing Happy to fly over onto Nic's lap. Gray was pumped for this mission.

"Now that sounds like fun to me." He smirked.

"Aye!" Happy said in agreement.

* * *

><p><strong>Onibus Station<strong>

It didn't take long for the team to reach Onibus Station after said explanantion. Happy sat idly on the luggage that Nic had decided to pull on his own accord, which pleased the scarlet maiden. The team then began to set off.

"Maybe I should've gone home." Lucy mumbled.

"Hold on." Nic realized. Everyone then came to a halt.

"Why? What is it?" Erza asked in wonder. She then noticed that Nic was doing a head count. When he realized something, he went wide eyed and ran back to the train.

"Hey!" Gray shouted, now chasing after him. Nic stopped to see that the train had departed, along with a certain flaming numbskull.

Everyone then caught up to him. "Did we forget something?" asked Lucy.

Nic slowly turned around with a dreadful look. "I'll give ya a hint: He has motion sickness." Everyone paused and gasped.

"Gah! We forgot Natsu!" Lucy shrieked.

"I was so busy talking I forgot about him." Erza said. She then held a fist and clenched it, looking troubled. "I'm such a fool! Natsu hates all forms of transportation! This is all my fault! Please, someone hit me for my penance!"

Nic then had a sweat drop and turned. "Don't beat yourself up over this. We'll just go fetch him." Explained Nic. He then brought out a poke ball. Erza and the others had a pretty good idea as to what he was doing. "Come on out, Greninja!" Nic shouted. Greninja then came out and looked at Nic. "Alright, catch up to that train and get Natsu out of there, we'll catch up as soon as we can." Nic ordered. The Ninja Pokémon nodded in understanding.

Knowing that he was the fastest and the swiftest member on Nic's pokémon team, Greninja knew he would catch up in no time. Everyone was surprised by the speed of second it was in front of them, and the next second he was gone. _'I'm surprised that Charizard wasn't called for the job; then again, I do have the highest speed on the team. Add the fact that I can get in and out without causing my destruction.' _thought Greninja as it dashed,

Nic then turned back to his friends. "Now…does anyone have any way of catching up to the train?" The group then hired a Magic Mobile. It was a car that was powered by Magic that goes through a SE plug. Erza took it upon herself to be the driver. Nic managed to find an emergency brake for the train, which would by them some time. Erza was speeding along with Lucy, Happy, and Gray riding inside with Nic clinging on the top. Normally, people would be freaking out, but the fact was that Nic loved to go fast. It made him that much energetic.

"WOOOOOOH!" he screeched as the Magic Mobile was accelerating at an alarming rate. It was reaching speeds close to 80 maybe even 90 mph. Erza didn't bother to slow down. She would drain her Magic power by doing so, but had to catch up to her forgotten friend.

Nic was enjoying the ride, but then notice that the SE plug in Erza's right wrist looked as though it was draining liquid. Even though it wasn't suppose to be harmful, Nic couldn't help but think if that could've been blood being drained. His enjoyment was short lived and his face paled. He then just plopped his face down on the roof and tried to close his eyes while begging for this ride to end soon so he didn't have to see that accursed SE plug again.

* * *

><p><strong>At that same time, on the train…<strong>

Natsu was sitting up on the train seat. He groaned to a great degree, and he was the only person in the train car. It wasn't long until the car door slid open and a young man with short black hair with a pontail came in.

The man noticed that Natsu's mark was signifying his affiliation with Fairy Tail. The man just sneered. "Heh, so you're a member of Fairy Tail. How miserable." The man then stomped Natsu in the face. What made things even harder was that Natsu couldn't move due to motion sickness. "You official guilds are too formal. We Dark guilds simply abide by our own rules, no need to feel put down."

Natsu was shaking to the bitter core. He was all fired up to give this guy a beat down; that is, if he could move. With whatever strength he could summon, he got his flaming fists at the ready, to which Kageyama stepped back. Natsu was on his feet and was prepared to attack.

"It looks like we've got ourselves a rowdy one." Said Kageyama.

"You…" that was the only word Natsu could say before his flames turned off and his face turned rather sour.

Kageyama just sneered at him even more. "Let me give you a demonstration as to what real Magic can do!" a purple seal then emerged from his feet and his shadow extended out and struck Natsu, sending him soaring to the ground.

It was in that instant that Kageyama was about to attack again that Greninja shot Dark Pulse straight through the window for interception. Kageyama stuttered back in shock as Greninja leaped through the window between Natsu and Kageyama.

"Who the heck are you?!" Kageyama demanded. Greninja just looked back at Natsu, seeing as how motion sickness was taking a toll on him. He then looked back at the Shadow Mage and frowned.

"You got some nerve, taking a man down when he can't fight!" Greninja growled. Before anything could be said and done, the train stopped (via the emergency brake back with Nic and the rest of the team). Greninja jerked a little while Kageyama fell forward, having a flute with a three-eyed skull on it drop.

With the motion sickness at a halt, Natsu began to get to his feet. Greninja and Natsu both then took note of the object.

"What is that?" Natsu wondered.

"Y-you saw it!" Kageyama worried. Before anything could be done about the flute, Natsu clashed his two fists with a fiery red dragon seal on it.

"It's time for some payback! **Iron Dragon Iron Fist!**" He then lunged at him.

With his guard got off, Kageyama stepped back. **"Guard Shadow!**" A wall of shadows then spiked up, protecting Kageyama. Natsu made contact and there was an explosion, wrecking everything in the train car. Kageyama was busy getting up while Natsu had a fist in the air.

"Lucky shot." Muttered the Shadow Wizard.

"You making fun of my guild?!" steamed Natsu. The announcements then came on.

"Attention passengers, our emergency stop was a false alarm. We will be moving again momentarily.' The announcements said. This wasn't good for Natsu. This meant he had so much time to either defeat him or get off the train.

'_Oh crap!'_ thought Natsu. "I gotta go!" he then grabbed his stuff from above his seat.

"Hold it right there!" shouted Kageyama, "You're not getting away that easily. You're at the mercy of Eisenwald now!"

Natsu then looked back at the angered Kageyama. "Eisenwald huh. How about we take this outside!" The train then began to move, and Natsu was trying not to barf.

Outside, the Magic Mobile was just approaching. Nic was on the top and saw a somewhat beaten up cart. Upon that, Nic immediately got up and frowned. _'Natsu, you even have to make demolition inside a train_.'Nic mentally sighed.

Inside the cart, Natsu was close to collapsing due to motion sickness. Greninja caught him just in time. Greninja then glared at Kageyama as he picked up the flute. "This isn't over ya know!" Greninja said. He then used Smokescreen as a cover, making Kageyama cough and block his vision. It was with that opportunity that Greninja leaped out of the train with Natsu and get away.

The guys in the Magic Mobile saw the two jump off the train. Fortunately, it was up ahead. Erza quickly pulled over, almost knocking everyone and the vehicle over. She and the others got out of the vehicle and ran up to Natsu and Greninja.

"Natsu, are you alright?" asked Erza.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Greninja came at just the right time." Natsu said, giving Greninja the credit he deserved.

"I apologize Natsu." Erza said. She then grabbed Natsu's head and thrust it into her breast plates, which did hurt.

"It's okay!" Natsu muttered. Nic couldn't help but feel mental pain. That thrust into the chest armor would definitely hurt. Maybe even a potential concussion.

In that note, Natsu spoke. "I was attack buy a weird guy, saying he was from Eisenwald." Erza then snapped and slapped Natsu to the ground.

"You idiot! That is exactly who we're after! How could you let him get away?! I explained everything on the train!" Nic then intervened before things got out of hand.

"Erza," Nic said, making an irritated scarlet woman turn to him. "You punched his lights out remember? This is the first time he's heard of this." Upon realizing this, Erza gasped.

"I'm so sorry. Please hit me for my penance at once." Erza said. Natsu just shrugged it off and everyone sighed.

Greninja then added something. "Hey, guys. While the train stopped, that man that attacked Natsu had some weird flute with three-eyed skull." He said. This made Lucy think.

"A three-eyed skull…" Lucy was searching through her memory, thinking about that flute.

"What is it Lucy?" Happy asked.

"I've heard about that flute before…Lullaby, the cursed song! It's Death Magic!" This made everyone nearly gasp. "There's deadly spells that can kill the person they're used on, to make things worse, Lullaby is far more dangerous. That flute was Lullaby!" The second they all heard that, everyone got back into the Magic Mobile. Nic returned Greninja to his poke ball and Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Lucy got in. Erza then went full speed and made the vehicle rock a little.

"Erza, you're using too much Magic!" Gray exclaimed. Erza just ignores him and continues to push herself.

"We don't know what Eisenwald is planning. We have to catch up to them and fast!" Erza said.

* * *

><p><strong>Kunugi Station<strong>

The station was being overrun by Eisenwald. A bunch of woman shrieked in horror as a fellow conductor was stabbed by Erigor's scythe. People were scurrying in a panic.

"Get everything off. The luggage, the people, and don't hesitate to kill any stragglers!" commanded Erigor. Kageyama then came off the train and met up with Erigor.

"Ah, Kageyama. I heard that you were coming by train. Took you long enough." Noted Erigor. Kageyama then handed the flute over to the deranged scythe wielder.

"Finally got that accursed seal off, sorry for the wait." Said Kageyama.

"At last. Lullaby is mine. Said to have been a weapon created by Zeref. It can kill hundreds, even thousands!" Erigor then noticed the cart that Kageyama stepped out of. It was a mess. "What happened here?" Erigor demanded.

"Don't worry about it. Some flies simply needed to be swatted, but they buzzed off." Kageyama explained. Erigor then had a nasty glare.

"Did they see Lullaby?" he asked.

"They didn't a long look; besides, they're too late. Fairy Tail has some screw offs that simpl- " This made Erigor hold the scythe to his neck.

"You idiot! You let a Fairy Tail wizard see the Lullaby and get away?!" Erigor was not pleased.

"B-bu-but it's not like he know our plans!" Kageyama pointed out. Erigor then retracted his scythe and held it over his shoulder.

"True, but we can't afford to take any risks. Once we reach Clover, you men must swat these pesky flies!" All men then abided by his order and got on the train for Clover.

* * *

><p><strong>Not long after, in the town of Oshibana Station…<strong>

The Magic Mobile was going through the streets like a wild animal. Erza was using too much Magic.

"Erza, you're exhausting too much Magic!" Nic proclaimed. Erza just smirked.

"If I lose Magic, then I'll rely on hand-to-hand combat!" she replied. Nic looked down in wonder.

'_Geez. Talk about guts.'_ Nic thought. He then looked back at the SE plug and paled, thinking what if that was blood. He held on tight, but kept his head down. She then came to a screeching halt. The sudden stop was caused by the large group of citizens gathered around Oshibana Station. This stop send Nic flying forward straight through the crowd. The fact that Erza was going about 80 to 90 mph meant that (due to Newton's Laws) he flew overhead the crowd and crashed into the officer leaving them out of the scene, rendering the man unconscious. Nic slowly arise, and Erza and the others caught up to him.

"…well he ain't gonna talk." Gray said looking at the unconscious officer. Erza then looked at the other two and gave glares, of which the officers shuddered. Without warning, she went and head butted them asking them what's going on.

A sweat dropped from Lucy. "Seems as though Erza's questioning methods are counterproductive." She determined.

"That's Erza for ya." Gray said.

"Gray, your clothes." Said Nic, to which Gray was shocked.

The group then went inside the station with nothing stopping them. The trio was running about in the station. Lucy was given the greatest honor of carrying around poor Natsu, who was motion sick the entire time. The group saw what looked like the Royal Army. They were in no condition to move and some were badly damaged. All Nic could do was grit his teeth and press onwards.

Eventually, they heard a chuckle from above and afar. "Welcome. Step into the web of despair you flies." Erigor announced. They all saw an entire guild up ahead, including Kageyama. There were at least one hundred people.

Lucy was so frightened, she accidentally dropped Natsu, whom Happy attended to.

Erza looked up at the white haired scythe wielder. "I take it that you're the one they call 'Erigor the Reaper'?" Erza boldly stated. All he did was chuckle in delight that Erza spoke of his nickname.

"Hey, you. It's your fault that I got in trouble!" Kageyama growled at Natsu. Natsu heard this voice and remembered it well.

Natsu got up, recovered from a triple combo motion sickness (Train + Magic Mobile + Lucy) and saw Kageyama.

"You!" Natsu growled back.

Erza was still in need of answers. "I'm not intimidated by any of you. I demand to tell us of your plans!"

"Oh, so you're not aware then huh?" Erigor said amused. He then flew up in the air. "Tell me, what do train stations have?" Erigor asked above.

Nic wasn't sure, so he threw in some wild guesses. "People?" Nic asked.

Erigor then sat on a broadcast sound device thingamajig. "All places have people you idiot!" implied the reaper.

"Tickets?"

"No."

"Train tracks?"

"No!"

"Part-time custodians?"

"NO! You dim-witted numbskull! It's a broadcaster! I'm sitting on one! Get it?!" yelled an agitated Erigor.

"Oooooooh!" Nic said in understanding. "…hey wait a minute, you're gonna broadcast Lullaby! Aren't ya!" Nic proclaimed.

"That's right! I'm cleansing this world of people who make their rights dear to their hearts. Those who paid no attention to those who had their rights stripped away. They committed a sin on not realizing insustice."

"That isn't going to make matters for you any better!" Lucy stated.

"Who cares! Soon we'll have power and then take control of the future!" Erigor clutched his fists in confidence.

Kageyama then made a seal at his feet and his shadows went to attack. "By the time this Dark Era emerges, you fools will be history!" The shadows then escalated and were coming down on Lucy. Natsu used his flaming fists and brushed the shadow attack away, shocking Kageyama.

"Well look at what we have here, a party!" Natsu cracked his knuckles. Lucy looked at him in concern.

"It's not a party, they're villains!" Lucy corrected.

"Like I said, a party!"

Nic then stepped forward, joining Natsu in the fight. "That's right. It's a party, and every single one of them is the piñata that we're about to smash open!" implied Nic.

Erigor then began to float off. "Don't let them enter our beloved Dark Era that will rise!" Erigor then vanished into thin air. Shocking Lucy and Happy.

"Natsu! Gray! Work together to stop Erigor!" she then turned to see them glare furiously at each other. "What did I say?!" Erza scolded. The two then ran off with their nice-guy acts to find and stop Erigor. Now that left only Happy, Nic, Lucy, and Erza.

Kageyama and a mummy guy went off to stop Natsu and Gray, and the rest were facing off against the four that were left.

"Let's do this!" Erza shouted. She then used her Requip Magic to change her oufit. She began to glow and change. She now had plated armor covering her chest with a large metal flower over it. She has large skirt with metal plates on the upper half. Her neck and stomach were uncovered, and had large metal wings with individual blades. It was her Heaven's Wheel Armor.

Nic thought Erza was hot before, but the site of that almost made him blush. He had to focus and admiration could come later. Nic turned to Lucy. "Lucy, find some cover. This is gonna get rough." Nic stated.

Lucy then backed away, as well as Happy. Nic then began to glow as well. Nic transferred over to the Zap Plate, hoping to get a charge out of it (Hah! Pun.). The earbuds in his ear now were larger and yellow two one small red lightning bolt on both ends. They were connected by a metal wire that went down to his phone that was in his pockets. His pants looked worn out and his shoes were yellow with gold stripes going all about. The spikes in this form were running spikes. His T-Shirt was yellow with a golden collar. His sunglasses were hanging on his collar and remained unchanged, except for the little red lightning bolts on the sides. His sleeveless coat looked torn on the shoulders which made him look like a punk. His coat was black all over and the blue flames were replaced with yellow zig-zags that raced to his lower back.

Even Erza was enamored by his change, though she didn't want to show it. She then focused on trying to take down these guys. The two contenders then leaped and went in for their attack.

"**Spark!**"Nic's body then was cloaked in electricity and he rammed into multiple people like a football player. At least ten people were damaged. Erza easily slashed at multiple people, their weapons all shattering from her sword slashing. She got twenty in one attack. One guy was about to strike her down from behind, but Nic got him just in time.

"**Charge Beam!**" a little orb was then in Nic's two palms and the orb unleashed a concentrate blast that send the guy through the wall, it also increased Nic's Special Attack as a bonus. Erza looked in shock. She was almost attacked from behind and was saved. She turned to Nic surprised. "You okay?" Nic asked. Erza nodded, noting she should watch his back as well.

Erza knocked out another ten in one attack, and Nic used Electro Web and shocked five and used a Thunderbolt on another five. Multiple guys were being taken out like the trash. Erza then decided to finish this. "Dance, my blades!" she ordered. About twenty or so swords then surrounded her like a wheel. The swords then began spinning rapidly and then were pointed at the foes.

"I call upon the power of lightning! Zap Plate give me strength to vanquish these foul people and shock them of their own ambitions!" yelled Nic. A huge thundercloud then emerged over the remaining bad guys.

At this point, Lucy was freaking out. "Whoa! And here I thought Erza could be scary!" shuddered Lucy.

"Aye!" confirmed Happy,

"**Circle Sword!**"

"**Thunder!**"

The swords then separated and were send flying into the opponents, and at the same time a huge thunderbolt crashed down on the guys. The two attacks were more than enough to defeat the whole guild three times over. The Eisenwald guild members were defeated and both Nic and Erza reverted back to themselves. Erza then got down to one knee, exhausted.

"Erza! Are you okay?" Nic asked. Erza looked up at him and smiled.

"I just overdid it a little. Gray was right, I used too much Magic for that Magic Mobile." Erza was exhausted. Nic then got down and had her used him as support. When they finally got to Lucy, Erza was able to get on her two feet.

"You guys, that was amazing!" exclaimed Lucy.

"Thanks, but we're not out of the woods yet." Nic then handed Erza over to Lucy.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Lucy asked, having an uneasy Erza leaning on her. Nic then turned to leave. "Happy, stay with them until Natsu or Gray come back!"

"Aye!" Happy replied.

"Wait, Nic!" Erza yelled. Nic then turned to face Erza. "You two need to warn the public to evacuate now! I'll try and see if he's outside! Erza, don't do anything reckless got it?" Nic then turned away and ran out of the station without having to hear Erza's answer.

"Be safe, Nic." She slowly whispered softly.

Lucy and Hapy then supported Erza to the nearest mega phone. They soon reached the roof of the place and Erza was on two feet. The large crowd then watched as she speaked. "ATTENTION! THIS IS URGENT! IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIVES YOU WILL LEAVE AT ONCE! THE GROUP OF BAD WIZARDS HAVE A WEAPON THAT CAN KILL YOU ALL! RUN NOW!" she projected over the mega phone. Everyone, including the officers she head butted from earlier, ran away. She, Lucy, and Happy then looked as they fled. When they turned their backs, they gasped as they saw a giant barrier of wind encasing the station.

"Wh-what is that?!" Lucy shrieked. They all saw Erigor then float behind them.

"It's a shame. Dealing with you Fairy Tail flies would be fun; however, I have much bigger priorities." With a motion from his hands and all three were send through the Wind Barrier. All thre crashed inside, now they too were stuck. Erza tried breaking through, but the barrier made her bounce off.

"Erza!" Lucy shouted. Erza then growled.

"Erigor!" Erza screamed. Erigor then grinned and flew off, leaving the barrier to suppress them.

* * *

><p><strong>With Gray<strong>

Gray took the path on his right and went into the studio, where Erigor was nowhere to be found. Instead, he was busy dealing with an Eisenwald member that had mummy appendages. He was binding Gray and lashing at him over and over. Gray's constant use of Ice Make Magic was putting the guy on ice, quite literally.

"**Ice Make: Knuckles!**" he then send the guy soaring. Now Gray had him by the shirt and was threatening him.

"Tell me what the plan is!" Gray demanded.

The mummy guy was pretty cocky. "Heh, we lured you here so that Erigor could keep you sealed up and so no traffic could stop us from reaching our final destination." He explained. "We didn't want any trains going to Clover."

"Yeah, why?"

"Because that's where Lullaby is heading. The only way to Clover was by going through the canyon that was between here and there. Unless you can fly like Erigor, you won't make it there. And think of what else is in Clover." He then whipped Gray with his black mummy wraps and send him soaring.

Gray finally got it. _'Dammit. So they're going to use Lullaby on the Guild Masters.'_ He then was lashed again and binded by the mummy person..

"Soon we'll have our revenge for those who kept us down!" proclaimed the guy. Gray then froze the bandages and the Eisenwald member's limbs.

"That's not gonna happen!" proclaimed Gray. "You mess with the Guild Masters, then you're messing with all of us!" He then completely froze the guy and left him where he was. "Now I gotta go find Natsu." Gray then rushed to help Natsu.

With the team stuck in the Wind Barrier, Erigor progressed onward to Clover. Little did anyone know, he was being tailed.

* * *

><p><strong>I got done super early this week. I had two snow days in a row, so I got this chapter done in three days. I didn't like the Daybreak Arc at all because I thought it had no significance, so I had Nic stay away from that one. Maybe the Galuna Arc as well, but we'll see. <strong>

**Again, apologies to Alpha Dragonis for making the first chapter much like his, I'm trying to make it as original as I can.**

**I'm still thinking about Nic's pokémon team. I got five figured out, but not sure about the sixth, I'll see if I can manage something. Shouldn't be that hard.**

**I chose to stop after Gray defeated the Mummy Wizard because I was afraid I was getting close to my limit, which was 12K. So guys, expect the rest of the Lullaby Arc to be finished the next chapter. I can't make promises that updates will be this quick, but I will get a bit done every night. If I ever get a school cancellation due to weather, I'll work on FanFiction all day. Also review please! Review!**

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time: Nightmares in the Wind<strong>


	3. Nightmares in the Wind

Chapter 3 – Nightmares in the Wind

**Hey people! I finally updated. This update was rather fast. I had to get a few things done, so I had to do bit by bit every night. Let's get rolling!**

**To Recap:**

Instead of going with Natsu, Happy, and Lucy on a job, Nic decided to leave town for the day and do some training. During that time, he encountered Erza Scarlet, who he found heavily appealing. The two bond throughout the day and arrive home the next day, only to go out on a mission to prevent Eisenwald from doing something dangerous with Lullaby. The group then fought against numerous Eisenwald guild members and was stuck inside a Wind Barrier. Erigor proceeds further to Clover to kill the guild master, but he doesn't realize he's being tailed.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Nightmares in the Wind<strong>

As Gray was finishing up with Reyule, Natsu was trying to find Erigor somewhere in the station. He was running in the opposite direction that Gray was heading and ran at high speed. He, however, did not take into account of a certain Shadow Wizard that was tailing him. Natsu soon barge from room to room. Erigor was nowhere to be found, but that didn't stop him. He was shooting fire all about, trying to find him.

"Erigor! Come out, come out wherever you are!" Natsu demanded as he blasted away. Natsu eventually made it to a room with a bunch of boxes stacked everywhere. He was taking a few breaths and felt some presence behind him. By the time he turned around, Kageyama emerged from the shadows and attacked Natsu with his shadows, sending him crashing into a bunch of wooden boxes.

"That felt good! Had enough you insect?" mocked Kageyama. Natsu struggled a little to get up, but eventually made it up on his own two feet. But what was off was that his face was in a wrecked portrait, making him look like a child with an overgrown angered face.

"NOT YOU AGAIN!" roared Natsu. There was an awkward silence as Kageyama took in the stupidity that Natsu had brought upon himself.

"…wow. You look like an idiot." Said Kageyama.

"Shut up Doggy!" scolded Natsu.

"It's Kage!" reprimanded Kageyama. "Anyway, I think I've figured it out now. You eat flames to increase your strength. That wasn't hard at all really."

Natsu then burned away the portrait with his anger and his face was on fire. "Now I really wanna give you a trashing but I haven't the time! Tell me where Erigor is!"

"Why don't you make me." Kageyama insisted with a smugged grin. "**Knuckle Shadow!**" A seal then emerged from under him and gave Natsu multiple uppercuts. Natsu quickly reacted and got his feet under him.

"So, I get to kick your butt AND get the info I want? Sounds like a great deal! I'm all fired up!" Natsu and Kageyama then went into a heated battle. Natsu kept avoiding Kageyama's assaults and Natsu kept shooting flames.

"**Shadow Orochi!**" His shadows then shaped into snakes that lunged at Natsu. Natsu didn't even flinch as a multitude of them came down on him.

"**Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!**" Natsu's fists then unleashed a whiplash of flames that destroyed the shadow snakes in one shot, shocking the Shadow Wizard.

"Whoa! He-he took them down in one shot! I had no idea wizards like that existed!" Kageyama exclaimed. He then stood frozen in fear as Natsu unleashed a fireball down on him, shaking the entire building about.

As the smoke cleared, Kageyama was against a wall that wasn't broken by Natsu. The walls around were charred. Natsu then emerged from the room that he blasted Kageyama out of. "Man, I was trying not to mess the place up this time, oh well. Sorry I had to take you down Diarrhea." Natsu said.

"It's Kageyama! Get it right!" he yelled.

"Yeah, yeah. Tell me where Erigor is." Natsu's patience was wearing thin. Kageyama just chuckled.

"He's long gone. He's on his way to Clover to kill the guild masters as we speak." Kageyama confessed. Just then, Erza and the others appeared. She, Gray, Lucy, and Happy finally caught up to him.

"Natsu, we need him alive!" she shouted, running towards them. She then pulled out a sword and held it to Kageyama's neck, almost cutting Natsu in the process.

"You will dispel the Wind Barier and do so without hesitation!" Erza demanded. Kageyama shuddered in fear.

"Just do it man! This chick's a real monster!" Natsu wailed, warning the frightened Shadow Wizard. Just then, a hand went straight through Kageyama's abdomen through the wall behind him, which shocked everyone. Erza stepped back in shock.

"Why…Karacka?" Kageyama muttered as he fell to the floor. Erza immediately tried to pick him up.

"Crap! He was our only way out!" Gray said. Natsu looked about in shock as Kageyama laid there unconscious and Karacka was in a mental shock as he thought of how he had to kill Kageyama as an order.

"Don't you die on me!" Erza ordered, holding an unconscious wizard.

Natsu was angry. He had his fists on fire, and eventually his entire body as well. "You tried killing your own friend…you…HOW COULD YOU! HE WAS A MEMBER OF YOUR GUILD AND YOU WENT BEHIND HIS BACK!" Ntsu roared. Karacka immediately fled behind the wall he phased through, but that didn't stop Natsu. "HOW COULD YOU?!" His flaming fists broke the wall and knocked Karacka out in the process. "Is that how you Dark Guilds treat each other?!"

As Natsu thrashed the sense into Karacka, Erza was trying to get Kageyama to get up. She tried shaking him, but was no use.

"Erza stop! There's no way he can use his Magic in his condition!" Gray insisted.

"If I force him to he will!" Erza insisted, still shaking him up. Lucy and Happy looked on as the useless efforts kept going.

"Uh, I don't think that's helping." Lucy muttered. Happy then looked about, thinking that there was someone missing. Then it hit him.

"Hold up, where's Nic?" wondered Happy. The team then stopped and looked at Happy, realizing that Nic wasn't there with them. Natsu looked back at Happy,thinking that Nic went off somewhere else.

"Where is he?" Lucy wondered.

Erza thought for a moment while getting up, having Kageyama use her as support. _'Nic, did you go to fight Erigor?'_ Erza thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Clover Canyon<strong>

The only way across the Clover Canyon was a single train line that stretched all the way to Clover, which was where Erigor was heading. Erigor was looking out at the sight of Clover in the fair distance.

"I'm so close." Erigor stated. "The Magic energy I used for that Wind Barrier should be recharged anytime now. I'm gonna make them all pay for taking away our rights!" He then began to fly up and proceed further, but then he felt the presence of something. The problem was that he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. He looked in all directions around him, but didn't get the chance to look up as he was struck down onto the rails. He gasped as he tried to get up. He then heard feet land in front of him, blocking his path. He then looked up to see Nic standing in his way.

"Erigor." Nic growled. Nic was using his Sky Plate form to catch up with Erigor. Nic's coat was a sky blue with white, puffy clouds going from the bottom to his thighs. His shoes were light blue and had white stripes all about. His shirt was white and his sunglasses were on his face and the casing around the lenses were a light blue. He also had a large pair of wings that was almost double his arm span.

Erigor got up in shock. He didn't expect to be followed. "How did you escape my Wind Barrier? It's impenetrable!" Erigor proclaimed.

"I was never inside of it in the first place. As I was running out of the station, I saw some wind stirring up behind me. The next thing I knew was that a huge tower of wind surrounded the station. I figured that I had to stop you in order to free my friends, which brings me to right now." Nic explained.

'_Tsk! I had just missed him! These Fairy Tail flies are such a nuisance.'_ Erigor thought. He then brought forth his scythe. "Very well then. Since you're so persistent, why don't I make this quick and finish you here!" Erigor said.

"We'll see ya blow hard!" Nic retorted. He then spread his wings and took flight. He then came down on Erigor from an angle. "**Wing Attack!**" His wings then lit up and Erigor blocked using his scythe, but Nic easily caught Erigor off guard as he circled around at the last moment and struck him from behind, causing him to fall forward.

"Damn. He's more agile than I had expected." Erigor quietly stated as he got up.

Nic was standing there and contemplating about his own predicament. _'I haven't used this plate before, so I might be at a disadvantage if it comes to a long range fight. If he uses a long range spell and I get caught up in it, I'm going to be in trouble. That scythe is another problem. He can block close range attacks as well. I'm just going to have to keep him off guard for the time and strike in whatever means necessary.'_ Nic thought.

Erigor then made a seal. "**Storm Bringer**!" A huge tornado then swallowed up Nic. Wind was pounding him from all sides of his body. He could feel the pressure engulfing him as he swirled about. He was eventually spit out from the top and began falling down the side of the cliff. Nic quickly spread his wings and stopped falling. He was only one hundred feet below Erigor, so it wasn't too far down he fell. He soared straight back up, much to Erigor's surprise.

"What?!" Erigot yelled.

"Well it looks like I wasn't wrong calling you a blow hard, but now let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine." Nic shouted. His wings then began glowing a light blue and he began flapping tremendously. "**Hurricane!**" A huge tornado then formed and sucked Erigor in, trapping him and he grunted as he was caught up in the attack. When the tornado dispersed, Erigor remained air born.

"It seems that I have underestimated you Fairy Tail pests." Erigor said. He then made a seal in front of him and more wind was conjured up. "**Storm Mail!**" He then went to strike Nic with himself cloaked in violent wind.

Nic then lunged up at Erigor at a high speed. "**Aerial Ace!**" He then collided with Erigor. The two were in a neck and neck brawl. The wind was clashing with Nic as he tried to push forward. He then had his wings lit up. "Let's see how you like this!" He then backed off and brought his wings back and let loose a strong multitude of tiny air saucers as he brought his wings forward. "**Air Slash!**" His attack then ripped right through Erigor's spell and send him hurling back down to the bridge.

"Impossible! He went through my Wind Mail?!" exclaimed Erigor in disbelief. Nic stayed stationary in the air as he looked down at the shocked wizard.

"It's called 'Air Slash' for a reason pal!" Nic informed. Erigor wasn't pleased that he was at an even match against Nic. _'Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Gray, Erza, you guys hang on.'_ Nic mentally pleaded as he went back to focusing on his fight against Erigor.

* * *

><p><strong>Oshibana Station<strong>

The group made it outside and saw that the Wind Barrier was still going on strong.

"Our only means of reaching Clover is cut off at the moment. If we dispel it now, then we should be able to catch up to him." Erza informed.

"We should be able to use the Magic Mobile, but we need to get out of this blasted thing." Gray stated. Out of the blue, Natsu unleashed a flaming fist, but the wall easily made it bounce off. Natsu fell backwards, but refused to quit.

Erza tried to get Kageyama to wake up, but it wasn't working. She tried budging him multiple times and tried shaking him up even more, but that didn't help the situation at all.

Natsu refused to quit. "I'm breaking through this thing one way or another!" Natsu proclaimed. Natsu repeatedly shot straight into the barrier and bounced off the same number of times.

"Stop Natsu!" Lucy pleaded. She then grabbed hold of Natsu and tried to get him to stop. Natsu stopped and looked back at Lucy, who lightly blushed.

"What?" Lucy asked. Natsu then broke free and had an epiphany. He then turned to Lucy.

"That's it! Call your Celestial Spirits to get us to the other side!" Natsu thought.

"Hey, I would, except we need another Celestial Wizard to do so." Lucy explained. Happy then was in deep thought, thinking very hard.

"Celestial Spirits…WAAAHHHH!" Happy's epiphany shrieked about, shocking everyone. "Lucy! I'd just remembered what I was trying to tell you this whole time!" Happy then got out Virgo's key, which stunned Lucy.

"How did you get Virgo's key?! You thief!" Lucy then grabbed Happy's mouth and gripped it.

"But it didn't steal it, Virgo gave it to me after Everlue was arrested." Happy muttered out of his mouth, which made Lucy let go. "After his arrest, her contract with him was broken and she wanted to make one with you Lucy!"

Lucy didn't want to deal with that gorilla maiden, so she just ignored it. "Not now Happy, I'll deal with it later." Lucy protested.

"But-" Happy was cut off by Lucy pinching his cheecks.

"But no!" She was rambling on about how Happy wasn't making himself helpful and how he should stay out of other's way, which made everyone look on in shock.

"Looks like we've got Erza Two." Said Natsu.

Happy then sighed. "I'm sorry. I just thought since Virgo could drill holes, she could get us to the other side." Everyone then looked shock from this statement.

"She can?!" Erza exclaimed.

"For real?!" Gray thought.

"You're right!" Lucy said. She then hugged Happy very tight, she was greatly satisfied with his help. "You're so helpful Happy, why didn't you say so earlier?"

Happy then got a grudge look on his face. "Someone was pinching my cheeks!" Happy stated. Upon realizing this, Lucy gasped and bowed to Happy.

"My most sincere apologies. Just please let me have the key!" she pleaded.

"Give me the biggest fish you can find and you'll be forgiven." Happy said. After Lucy said she would do so once they would get home, Happy gave her the key.

"**Open: Gate of the Maiden – Virgo!**" A slim, pink haired maiden then appeared. This stunned Lucy tremendously. "…huh?"

"You summon me Mistress? What is it you need?" Virgo asked. Natsu then recognized Virgo and walked up to her.

"What's up Burger? Man, you've really slim down." Natsu said, getting the name wrong.

"I am Virgo. I apologize for past problems that I have caused." She said.

"You're like a different person!" Lucy protested.

"I am a spirit that will do anything to please her Master, even change looks." Virgo then changed into a giant gorilla lady that was exceedingly fat. She stood tall and her voice was deep. "Much like this." She said. This horrified Lucy and Gray, but Natsu didn't mind.

"Don't! Your other form is fine." Lucy insisted, to which Virgo changed back to her slim self. "Can we work out the contract later? We need to get the other side of this barrier."

"As you wish Mistress." Virgo said. Lucy was annoyed by that.

"I prefer you don't call me that." Lucy said.

Virgo then took a good look at Lucy's whip. "How about Queen?"

"No."

"Princess?" Lucy then took a shine to that title.

"Yeah sure, okay." Lucy said.

"Can we get this over with?! Erigor is getting closer to Clover as we speak!" Gray complained, though he was in his underpants.

"Gray! Your clothes!" Lucy shouted mortified, to which Gray quickly looked for.

"Very well then." Virgo then proceeded to drilling a hole and went under the barrier. Everyone was amazed to see Virgo making a hole.

"Nicely done Lucy!" Erza complimented as she shoved her into her breast plate. Everyone then went down the hole, except Natsu went over to get Kageyama.

"Him as well?" Gray said. He looked as Natsu, who was serious.

"It wouldn't feel right to just leave him here." Natsu said. The team, with Kageyama, made to the other side of the barrier and made it out of the tunnel. It was still windy and stuff was blowing around in a hazard.

"This wind is crazy!" Lucy complained, trying to keep her hair from flying all over.

"Princess, I'll keep you from exposing your panties." Virgo said. She then had Lucy's dress from exposing her panties, though Virgo's was exposed to a blushing Gray from behind.

"…oh, wow." Gray said.

Kageyama then began to move his head, slowly regaining consciousness. "It's no use. We've won." Kageyama muttered. Erza and the others looked in disappointment at the betrayed wizard. Erza then noticed that Natsu wasn't present, nor Happy.

"Where's Natsu and Happy?" Erza asked. Everyone saw that they weren't there as well. Erza then thought the two went to fight Erigor. _'Natsu, be careful. Watch Nic's back.'_ She thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Clover Canyon<strong>

Nic was flying about, trying to avoid Erigor's assaults. His constant Wind Magic was making Nic get nowhere. He did manage to use multiple Air Cutter and Air Slash attacks, but those were the only two that would've worked.

"**Storm Bringer!**" Erigor then unleashed a huge tornado on Nic.

"**Hurricane!**" The two attacks were bashing into one another. Eventually, the two tornadoes combined and both were swallowed up by the raging wind. The two were grunting and unable to move. As a few moments rolled by, the attack ceased and the two slammed back down on the tracks. Erigor was tired, and Nic was feeling just as drained.

Erigor then stood up and Nic followed suit. Both then stared at one another. The other was equal in strength to the other. "It would appear that we've have some balance in our powers." Erigor analyzed.

Nic gazed behind Erigor, seeing a flying Happy and Natsu racing towards the fight. Nic then smirked. "It would appear that we also have some company." Nic said.

"Huh?" Erigor turned around, only to get a Fire Dragon's Claw to the face. Erigor fell backwards and Natsu landed in front of Nic. Happy then exhausted his Magic and fell down. Natsu then caught a tired cat and set him off to the side.

"You did god Happy." Natsu said.

"Aye." Happy muttered. Natsu then went over to Nic's side and smirked.

"It's about time. I thought I would be taking all of the credit this time." Nic said.

"Please. I got a score to deal with him." Natsu said. Regardless, the two looked back at Erigor as he got up.

"More Fairy Tail flies. This is more troublesome than it's worth." Erigor said. "**Storm Mail!**" Erigor was then cloaked in wind and flew into Nic and Natsu. Not wanting to wait any longer, Natsu leaped up and attacked head on.

"**Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!**" the attack bounced off and Natsu plummeted to the bridge.

"Natsu!" shouted Happy, very worried for his pal. Natsu then got to his knees and got back up. Erigor descended, still cloaked in his Storm Mail.

* * *

><p><strong>With Erza and the others<strong>

Erza was using the Magic Mobile and was following the train tracks towards Clover. She and the others weren't too far behind at this point. Gray, Lucy, and an injured Kageyama were riding in the back. It was a little bumpy, mainly due to Erza's low Magic energy. She saw everything was getting all hazy and still pressed on regardless.

In the back, Kageyama groaned and looked up at the Fairy Tail members. "Why are you helping your enemy?" He asked.

"Look pal, you need a doctor, and the closest one is in Clover thanks to Erza scaring off the doctors in Oshibana.

"I heard that!" Erza yelled back to him, which Gray nearly paled.

Kageyama just shrugged it off and sighed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were going to make me a hostage. In case if you were wondering, Erigor doesn't give a crap about any of us." The Magic Mobile then swayed and bumped up and down a little, which send Lucy flying into Kageyama's face with her butt. After the ride settled, Erza yelled out everything was fine now.

"I'm so sorry." Lucy apologized.

Kageyama clenched his face as he was hit head on with a butt. "Can your oversized butt be any bigger?" he complained. Lucy had a tick mark growing on her head as she was insulted.

"Somebody thrash him! He said I had a big butt!" Lucy exclaimed in anger. Gray just sighed, thinking this was going to be a long ride.

Outside the Magic Mobile, Erza wasn't feeling so good. _'My vision's getting blurry. I used too much Magic power. Natsu. Nic. Both of you need to stop Erigor. We're counting on you!'_ Erza thought as she pressed on.

* * *

><p><strong>With Natsu and Nic<strong>

"What's wrong? Don't tell me that's all you've got!" Erigor mocked. Natsu then gritted his teeth and lunged at him.

"**Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!**" Natsu's fist was only a foot away when the flames went out. "What the? How could my flames go out?" Natsu wondered. Erigor then chuckled, but it was short lived as he saw an Air Cutter coming at him. He got hit and that attack was only strong enough to dispel the Storm Mail. Erigor got into the air and sneered.

"Are you okay Natsu?" asked Nic.

"Yeah, but why did my flames go out? I don't understand!" Natsu was getting a little frustrated.

"My Storm Mail simply extinguishes any flames that are in close range." Erigor explained. He once again cloaked himself in Storm Mail and went down to strike Natsu.

"I'll show you!" Natsu proclaimed. "**Fire Dragon's Roar!**" His attack was almost extinguished when it came out of Natsu's mouth. Erigor then rammed into Natsu, sending him soaring back close to Happy. Nic evasively went up and used an Air Slash and tried taking Erigor down from above. He saw this and dodged the attack. Nic then got in front of Natsu to protect him.

"Why can't my attacks do anything?!" Natsu complained. He was getting frustrated that his attacks weren't getting through to him. Nic looked back at an annoyed Natsu.

"He'd just answer your question." Nic explained. Natsu just ignored this and leaped. He tried to use another Fire Dragon's Iron Fist, but was blown away easily. Nic caught him as he has flying off and brought him back up to the bridge.

"I think it's time I finish off you pesky Fairy Tail flies right here and now." Erigor said. He then made a Magic seal and it had little seals revolving around it.

Nic stood there and gulped at this turn of events. "This looks like the opposite of good." Nic indicated.

Happy was freaking out as the attack was beginning to surge. "Whatever you do, don't let it touch you!" Happy yelled.

"**Emera Baram!**" His two index and middle fingers cross to make an "X" shape, which generated a halo of light around them. A large mass of wind blades was concentrated into a huge blast of wind that could slice anything up.

'_Oh crap!'_ Nic thought. He had to act fast, otherwise he and Natsu were toast. With no options, Nic grabbed Natsu by the shoulders and dragged him up into the air in a swift leap, which surprised Natsu. They watched as the attack ripped up the railway and train tracks. After the attack ceased, Nic set Natsu back down. "Natsu, why don't you let me handle him. Your fire can't do much against his wind." Nic stated.

Natsu's entire body was on fire. He grabbed a part of a rail and gripped it furiously. "No! I don't understand! I have to beat him!" Natsu yelled. Fire was now erupting everywhere around him out of anger.

Nic looked on in shock and somewhat little fear. "Uuuhhhh…this is either good, or it's really bad." Nic indicated. Erigor's violent winds then began to weaken all around him. He looked surprised at this turn of events.

"What's this?! The angrier he gets, the more intense his flames become!" Erigor proclaimed. "Flames of emotion! But how?! It's ancient Magic!"

The flames continued to swell up as the Storm Mail decreased. Nic thought of something, something that could help.

"**Gust!**" He then unleashed a gust of wind to the flames, which made them grow even larger. Happy then found an idea.

"Natsu!" Happy yelled. Natsu looked back to his pal. "You suck fighting this guy. Just have Nic do the rest and just be done already." Everything went dead silent. Nic knew Happy was trying to rile up Natsu for a victory, but he thought he went too far.

'_Oh shit.'_ Nic mentally cursed.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Natsu roared as the flames erupted much like a volcano with a huge amount of intensity, which was far more intense than anyone could have imagined. Erigor's Storm Mail was no more, and Natsu was a towering fire. He then lunged at Erigor at almost the speed of sound, encased in fire. "**Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!**" Natsu then unleashed a headbutt in an inferno. He rammed Erigor, making him soar up in the air and crash into the bridge with extreme force. He was out like a light.

"How's that guys!" Natsu said.

Nic stood there perplexed and with a sweat drop. _'Note to self: Don't hog the spotlight when he's around.' _Nic mentally noted.

"You showed him Natsu!" Happy said. Natsu then looked rather annoyed.

"You didn't think so earlier." Natsu reminded. Happy just shrugged off what he said.

"A cat's memory isn't the greatest." He said, trying to lie. Natsu then let out a breath and looked at Erigor.

"Guess it doesn't matter. I'm that amazing!" Natsu proclaimed in joy.

Nic finished with his perplexing thought and shook his head to get back to reality. "That was something. That's for sure." Nic said. The three then saw the Magic Mobile pull up to them. Erza looked out in shock as Erigor was defeated. He looked back up and saw Nic grinning at her, satisfied with the victory and seeing that she was okay. Erza grinned back, happy to see Natsu and Nic were okay as well.

The guys got out of the Magic Mobile and went up to congratulate them. Kageyama looked on in shock as he saw Erigor lying on the ground defeated.

"No way. Erigor never loses." Kageyama muttered. He then looked at Natsu and Nic, both satisfied with their victory. "Can't believe you had a hard time with this guy." He said to them.

"Shut it!" Natsu retorted.

Erza was using Lucy for support as they walked up to them. "I'm proud of you both." Erza stated with a smile.

"T'was nothing." Nic said being modest. Erza sighed, seeing how bruised he was.

While they were all talking, they failed to see Kageyama seize the flute from the ground and hopped onto the Magic Mobile. He then floored it and almost ran them over. The guys quickly both out of the way as he made his way down the tracks.

"Lullaby's mine now! Shouldn't have left your guard down!" he shouted as he got away.

"After him!" Erza ordered. With some Magic energy restored, Happy grew his wings and picked up Natsu. Nic began flapping his wings, though he was drained. He picked up Erza, who was still drained of Magic, and flew in pursuit of Kageyama as well. Lucy and Gray followed in pursuit.

* * *

><p><strong>Sometime later, in Clover…<strong>

It was nighttime and the moon was shining down on all of Clover. Kageyama was outside the Conference Hall, thinking he was a fair distance away.

"This should be far enough. Surely they should be able to hear the song from here." Kageyama said. He then began to inhale, then he heard pages turn behind him. He turned back in shock at seeing Master Makarov sitting on a log, reading a Sorcerer's Weekly magazine with young woman.

Kageyama turned and stared, mortified to see a perv reading behind his back, quite literally. Makarov then got up and put the issue away. "Now, I have to go and -!" He looked to see Kageyama staring dumbfounded at the pervy Guild Master. "GAH! It's not what it looks like! I was doing research on wizards that's all! Plain and simple!" Makarov protested.

"I don't care what you're doing." Kageyama sighed. Makarov was relieved, but was short lived as he saw the bandages on the Shadow Wizard.

"You've been hurt badly boy, you shouldn't be walking in such a condition." Makarov said.

"Yes sir." Kageyama said. He then recognized the man. _'Hold on, that's Makarov. He's Fairy Tail's Guild Master. Why do I always bump into these guys?' _As Makarov was about to walk away, he sought this to be the perfect opportunity. "Excuse me. I don't suppose you would want to hear a song?" he said kindly.

Makarov looked at the strange flute. He could see this wasn't an ordinary flute. "…very well then. One song couldn't hurt." He said.

Kageyama then brought the flute close to his moth and he was about to play. _'This is it.' _He thought in victory. He then had a rush of memories go through his mind. The thoughts of revenge and getting his rights back, but then talks from Lucy and the other Fairy Tail guild members about killing won't make things right. He thought as to how he was betrayed, and how Natsu raged over Karacka and thrashed him. He hesitated to get close to the flute, and he was going back and forth on how to handle this matter. Should he or should he not?

The guys finally caught up to him. They watched over a hill as they saw Kageyama in front of Makarov. At this point, Nic reverted back to his normal self, in case if you were wondering.

"Master!" Lucy warned. She was then stopped by a shush from a cross-dressing fat man who was bald. This shocked and scared Lucy, Natsu, and Gray. Nic got out of sight before he could be anymore freaked out.

"We're about to get to the good part." The guild master said. He then began to be flirty around Natsu and Gray while Lucy did what Nic did and hid behind Erza.

"Who's that?" asked Nic, trying not to look so he wouldn't lose his appetite.

"That's Guild Master Bob of the Blue Pegasus Guild." Explained Erza.

"Can you guys keep it down over there? This is where things get good." A man in sunglasses with a spike dog collar and a hat said, leaning next to a tree. He was behind Nic and Lucy, watching Kageyama and Makarov from the distance.

"And that right there is Guild Master Goldmine from Quatro Cerberus." Erza told them. Lucy was astonished, but Nic just sighed.

"This day just keeps getting weirder by the minute." Nic sighed quietly.

Back down with Makarov and Kageyama, Makarov was getting a little bit impatient from Kage's hesitation. "Well?" Makarov asked.

After some silence, Kage gulped. _'I can do this. One song, and everything will change.'_ He thought.

Makarov looked off with a disappointed look. "Nothing's will change." He said. Upon hearing this, Kage gasped that Makarov knew what he was thinking. He then turned back towards Kageyama and everyone else that was watching from afar heard his words. "You can't change the fact that those who are weak might remain weak. I don't find that to be a bad thing. If you think about it, we humans are weak and our insecurities gave birth to guilds, and they're why we have friends who we even call family. When we're around our family, it's easy to think on the positive scale. Let's put it in another way; if we're clumsy, we bump into things, but as long as we believe and hope for a better future, then it doesn't matter if we're clumsy or stumble into messes we come across. We have to choose our paths and live our lives to the fullest to reach that future. Don't let that accursed flute block you from seeing such a future."

A wind blew and Kageyama trembled. The guys were thrilled and inspired by these words. Makarov stood as Kageyama got to his knees, dropping the flute onto the ground. "I surrender." He admitted with his head down.

The then rushed towards their Master, satisfied that Kage learned the importance of life from such a great speech.

"Master!" Erza said.

"Wait a go Gramps!" Natsu complimented. Makarov was then shocked to see the whole group coming up at him. Master Bob and Goldmine watched from afar as the Fairy Tail members congratulated their beloved Master.

"How did you guys end up here?" Makarov asked. He was then shoved into Erza's chest plates, which of course hurt.

"Master, your words were so inspiring they almost moved me to tears." Erza admitted, hugging her Master. Erza let go and now the other Guild Masters came up as well. Lucy went over to comfort Kageyama, Natsu patted Makarov on the head, and Gray was without a shirt, though no one cared.

Erza looked over and saw Nic looking at Lullaby. He couldn't help but feel odd about that flute. Erza walked over towards him. "Are you alright?" Erza asked. Nic then looked at Erza and back towards the flute.

"I don't a good feeling. That's all." Nic stated. Just then. The eyes of the flute lit up and then emitted some dark energy. The group immediately turned towards the flute.

"**I've grown tired of you humans, trying to resist my power!**" The flute announced. Everyone gasped as it spoke. A super large seal then emerged from above. The dark cloud of energy then spiraled upwards. "**No more games! I shall just have to devour you myself!**" The flute then turned into a horrific three-eyed monster that towered over them.

"It's huge!" Lucy exclaimed, frightened.

"Understatement of the century!" Nic said to her.

"Erigor never mentioned anything about a monster!" Kageyama proclaimed in horror.

"He must be a demon that was from the Book of Zeref. It must be Lullaby's true form, created from forbidden Black Magic." Implied Goldmine, reminding everyone that Zeref was the one who created such a monster. The townsfolk then began to run away and flee for their lives as this beast towered over them.

Nic then looked at the group. "So, who is this Zeref?" Nic wondered.

"He is the most vile of all wizards," Master Bob explained, "I never would've guessed his magic and monsters would pop back up again."

Lullaby then looked down at the whole group. "**Now then, whose soul should I eat first?**" It asked, gazing at everyone.

Natsu then got pumped for a fight. "Eat huh." Natsu wondered. "…hey, does anyone know what souls taste like?" Nic then turned towards Natsu.

"This aint an all you can eat buffet!" Nic scolded, shocking Natsu awake from drooling all over about food.

Erza then turned towards the group. "Natsu! Gray! Get everyone to safety!" she ordered, to which the two greatly disregarded.

"Who put you in charge?!" demanded Natsu.

"Yeah, don't get all bossy on us!" Gray said. The two were then shot death glares from Erza's eyes.

"Just do it!" she demanded in an impatient tone. The two then hurried along with their friendly personas plastered on their faces. Lucy sighed, thinking as of how scary and threatening she can be.

Nic was just watching as the two followed her orders under fear. _'She's just as demanding as my mother.'_ He thought, which stands to reason why he wasn't afraid of her in the first place.

Off in the distance, the Royal Army stood affirm. "We're not running off! This demon is nothing!" They all yelled. The demon then looked at them, thinking it was insulted.

"**I'll show you what true power is!**" A seal then emerged from its mouth and a beam of energy shot forth. That one beam was strong enough to blow away a mountain top. The shock wave of the attack was tremendous, almost making everyone fall back onto their backs, though the blast was several miles away.

"Uh, Captain. Can we run now?" shuddered a soldier. To which the captain turned and ran, ordering a retreat and to get out.

"**I have no need for those pathetic humans that can't even hold their own sword.**" Explained Lullaby as it turned back towards the group. "**I want wizard souls!**" The group stepped back, leaving only Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Nic to face the monster.

Happy looked up at Lucy. "Hey, why aren't you fighting?" asked the cat.

"Well, none of my Celestial Spirits are available at the moment and I really don't want to get in their way." Said Lucy.

"If I had to guess, I'd say you were chickening out!" said Happy.

"Shut it! Lie any help either!" retorted Lucy. The giant monster then screamed. The scream was hurting everyone's ears. No one could hear one another as their ears ached. As soon as it stopped, Erza summoned two swords.

"Ready?" she asked the guys.

"You bet!" Natsu and Gray said in unison.

"We'll give that thing a real earache!" proclaimed Nic. They all then charge at the monster.

"**Requip!**" Erza then requiped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. Nic then activated his Toxic Plate. Now everyone was ready to go. Nic went first using Sludge at the beast's face, making it temporarily blind for a few moments while Natsu unleashed a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist that made it step back.

"**Ice Make: Lance!**" Gray shouted. He extended his arms and created long, curved ice lances that crashed into Lullaby, making it stumble back. Erza then slashed away at Lullaby. She was cutting away and slashing about everywhere. It didn't take long for the demon to pinpoint her.

"**I got you now!**" Lullaby shouted and unleashed a punch on Erza. Erza didn't notice because she was too focused on trying to find another change to strike. She was flying about and she saw the fists coming at her. She wouldn't be able to dodge it in time.

Nic jumped and pushed Erza out of the way, taking the hit for her. She looked back and saw Nic get send flying high. "No!" Erza shouted. Nic straightened out in midair and aimed on Lullaby's head.

"**Sludge Bomb!**" Nic shouted. A more powerful version of Sludge went shooting high speed from Nic's mouth and crashed into Lulaby's face, causing it to yelp as it clenched its face. Try to think of it as if you were hit with a baseball in the face. Lullaby didn't like that one bit. It shrieked as it looked back at Nic.

"**Now you've made me mad you punk!**" Lullaby then tried to step on Nic, but was hit with Natsu's Fire Dragon's Roar from its side. The beast then looked at Natsu and looked down at him. "**You know, how about I eat all of your souls at once!**" It was then brought to a halt as it felt a slash in its cheek. Erza came around and was floating in front of the beasts face.

"Will not threaten any of us! We have you cornered and you're no match against our combine magic. You should surrender now while you can." Implied the Requip Wizard. Lullaby looked Erza dead in the eye and grinned viciously.

"**How about I take your soul first, then the rest!**" Lullaby then screeched about. Since Erza was in front of it, she had to cover her ears as she screamed. She fell to the ground, rather disoriented from the close range roar. Erza looked to see a monstrous foot about to kick her to the moon, and her body hasn't recovered from that sudden assault.

It was as if his body acted on its own. As if by instinct, Nic, once again, pushed Erza out of the way. He stood affirm and took the massive foot that dragged him into the air and soared off into the mountains somewhere. The guys watched in shock as Lullaby had just kicked Nic and send him off to who knows where.

Erza was silent. She just watched as Nic soared off and Lullaby laughed. "**Well, that's one down!**" It gloated. Erza didn't know what came over her. It was as if she let her fury get the best of her and summoned over fifty swords. These swords were a variety, but nevertheless were weapons. Everyone around her shuddered as she had an angered expression about in her eyes.

"You dare harm Nic! How could you! You shall pay!" she yelled. Natsu, Gray, and even Lucy shrieked. The other Guild Masters nearly peed their pants as they saw this furious side of Erza.

"My god! She's never this scary!" Natsu remarked.

"She's only enraged when someone messes with her strawberry cheesecake! Nic isn't a cheesecake!" Gray exclaimed.

"**Fool! Do you really think that toothpicks such as those will give you the upper hand?!" **Lullaby exclaimed. Erza then commanded all of the swords to strike Lullaby. Every single one slashed away and Lullaby was swatting around, much like he was attacked by flies. The swords then disappeared and went back to her pocket dimension. They could see Lullaby with multiple cuts in it, but that didn't stop it from shooting a Magic Beam at all of them.

"**Ice Make: Shield!**" Gray managed to make a durable barrier that was able to stop the attack from exploding on them. The magnitude around them was tremendous as the Magic Beam went in a line. Fortunately, Gray saved everyone behind him, and Natsu swallowed up whatever fire he could.

"Now I got a fire in my belly!" Natsu announced.

"**You're a monster!**" Lullaby proclaimed, punching Natsu, but to no avail. Natsu jumped and ran up its arm and delivered a Fire Dragon's Claw across its face.

Erza then began changing again. "**Requip!**" She changed into her Black Wing Armor. This particular armor was black with silver trimmings with silver crosses all about. It was a revealing silver-edges breastplate and plates running down from her hips to her waist guard. Large plates covered her legs. She had two wings with a membrane-like material, and her hair was in a ponytail this form. "Natsu! Gray! C'mon!" she yelled as she soared upwards and attacked with Natsu and Gray following in pursuit.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, in the mountains nearby…<strong>

Nic was lying on the forest floor, as he fell through multiple tree branches. Fortunately, the branches he broke acted like a cushion and he was unharmed. He felt as though he was ran over, pumped back up, and ran over again. He felt his back crack as he got up from his cushioned impact. He looked around ached about. His back took a beating from the crash regardless, but his abdomen was feeling like mush after that kick to oblivion. He was still active in his Toxic Plate Form, but it's not like he can move after that last round he had.

"Well, I sure got a kick out of that." Nic joked. He chuckled at his own pun, which then turned to a whimper as his body began to hurt as he laughed. Nic then heard some explosions in the far off distance. He had to muster up whatever strength he had left to climb. He slowly grabbed hold of a branch and worked his way upwards. Eventually, he popped out from the canopy and saw a view of the whole valley. He looked around and saw Lullaby a little to his right. He saw it fight and struggle against Erza, Natsu, and Gray. He looked out and slowly descend, leaving only his head above the canopy.

"Hmmm. Well, I could see how this goes, but I need to take out that monstrosity. But how?" Nic thought. He then saw Natsu unleash a Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame, followed by Erza's amplified sword slashing. Gray then used an Ice Make: Saucer that made Lullaby scream in pain upon impact. Seeing this, Nic sought to find a great opening. He took notice that the beast was only focused on Erza and the others, so he could unleash an attack from the side, or find another way.

He then recalled that Lullaby could shoot a Magic Beam that could destroy a mountain, but also recalled that it hasn't played its song yet. It could shoot a Magic Beam out of rage anytime now, so attacking from the side wouldn't be a good idea, especially since he got a fist and kick delivered to him. So the only other option…was above.

When Nic looked up, he thought he would have to get really high up and go straight down if he were to finish this with one blow. The problem was that his body was too drained and damaged from that battle with Lullaby. He need some help. He got down from the canopy and onto the ground. He then shifted to his Zap Plate Form

"Charizard! Let's go!" Nic then had Charizard come out from its poke ball and then it roared.

"Look Charizard, I need you to fly me high up and have me over that giant monster." Nic ordered, pointing out towards Lullaby. Without even the slightest hesitation, Charizard nodded.

"Do I even have to ask what you plan to do?" Charizard rhetorically asked as it turned around and had Nic climb onto its back.

"Something stupid." Nic answered. Charizard then began taking flight. He slowly arose from under the canopy and saw Lullaby. Nic then looked down at his pal. "Now listen. We have to be quick about this. It's imperative that he doesn't see us. If he sees us, then our chances of a surprise attack have just burned up."

Charizard then looked up at Nic with a look of understanding. "This'll be fun." He then took flight and soared high, and I mean high, into the air. Charizard was going 50-60 mph up, so they were gradually gaining altitude.

Back where Erza and the others were, Lullaby casted a giant seal and engulfed it. It began to store power, and the land around it was slowly wilting.

"This can't be good!" Lucy said. They looked and saw that the trees and grass all around was dying.

"Lullaby is sucking the life out of the plants!" Happy confirmed. The entire land was shaking by now. A fierce magnitude rippled, even Nic and Charizard felt the vibrations as they were climbing the sky.

Finally, Lullaby stored up the power necessary and clasped its hands together. "**It's all over now!**" Everyone's ears were aching as its voice vibrated about. Lucy struggled to cover up, and Erza had some hesitation to move due to the multitude of vibrations throwing off her balance in the air. Nic and Charizard were far away enough so that they only a little vibration.

Then the moment came and the vibrating stopped. It played its one note…which was a wheeze. Lullaby gawked this astonishment. It didn't understand.

"What was that all about?!" exclaimed Happy with earplugs.

"**Why isn't my Melody of Death working?!**" Lullaby shrieked.

"It must be from all of those attacks!" Kageyama said.

"They sliced and punctured so man openings, they messed up its sound!" Lucy exclaimed. "All that buildup and nothing to show for it." Lullaby stood there in grave revelation. Its efforts were in vain.

"Flutes are overrated anyway." Happy figured. Lullaby got a tick mark from that comment.

"**You dare mock my superiority?!**" Lullaby then kicked the side of a mountain with some civilians.

"This is bad!" "Can things get any worse?!" "This demon's lost it!" Many villagers ran for cover and tried to avoid its wrath. The rampaging monster then shot a Magic Beam, to which Gray blocked. The guys then proceeded to attack once again.

Way up in the sky, Charizard and Nic were sailing about and trying to see a perfect opening to go in for an attack. Charizard looked down at the monster and saw it rampage. "Well, mind filling me in now?" Charizard asked. Nic then looked down to see Lullaby below him. They were probably several thousand feet above the monster. "Hurry up Nic! It's getting hard to breathe!" Charizard wasn't joking. They were so high up that another hundred or so feet and oxygen would become scarce. Both Nic and Charizard were breathing fine at this point; in fact, they descend about a hundred feet just so they could get some more oxygen.

"Charizard, I'm gonna dive and hope I hit him on the head." Nic said.

"What?" Charizard asked perplexed.

"That's right. You're gonna drag me down and then throw me. I'll unleash a powerful Electric Type move and finish him." Nic said. His Pokémon was getting the idea, though he didn't quite like it.

"I'm not so sure. Why not just have me use Fly and knock him out from that?" Charizard suggested.

"Because we need to stop this thing before it kills my friends! It may be different from where we came from, but here it's either life or death!" Nic stated. Charizard looked down and nodded.

"Fair point; besides, you would be shattered without Erza, wouldn't ya?" the Fire and Flying type teased, causing Nic's face to turn bright red.

"Be quiet!" Nic demanded, only for Charizard to chuckle at this display from his trainer. "Charizard…I need you to do something else as well. As I fall, use an attack on me."

This made Charizard immediately turn its head towards its trainer, shocked that its trainer would ask such a thing. "I think we're too high up! You're lightheaded from lack of air!" Charizard protested. Nic knew what he was doing.

"Trust me on this one Charizard. We need all the power we can get." Nic said. With a silence following, Charizard was thinking.

'_He's not joking. He needs my flames for a boost, though he'll hurt himself. He's grown bold.'_ Charizard noted. He then smirked and looked back down. "I still say it's the thin air!" Charizard said.

"Let's do this!" shouted Nic. The two then dived down at an alarming rate, reaching speeds about 80-90 mph. When they've reached a certain point, Charizard grabbed Nic by the wrist and threw him down. "Have a nice landing!" Charizard noted as he hurled Nic downwards, gaining even more speed.

"This is it!" Nic shouted. He then started generating an immense amount of electricity. The lightning bolts on his coats went to light blue as the energy was being generated. Nic clenched his fists and his eyes turned red. He then let out a dragon roar and his entire body was surrounded in thunderous electricity. "You're finished! **Legendary Arts: Bolt Strike!**" He then soared straight

Charizard then decided to use this opportunity and give Nic what he asked for. "**Heat Wave!**" Charizard then flapped its wings once and unleashed a rushing wind of flames. The flames then caught up to Nic and fused with Bolt Strike, making it look like a meteor of fire and electricity.

Everyone was terrified of Lullaby's wrath. It screamed viciously as it was going to kill them all, regardless if it couldn't play its song. Lucy then noticed something above Lullaby, and it was coming down hard.

"Guys, what's that?!" Lucy pointed out. Everyone then looked above Lullaby and saw what looked like a meteor of fire and electricity shooting downwards onto Lullaby. Natsu, Gray, and Erza all stopped and looked up at the projectile plummeting. Lullaby swatted at them, but they regained their focus and dodged it. They all backed away to see the projectile.

"**Giving up?**" the demon asked. It then laughed as it thought it had achieved victory, only to hear thunder above him. It then looked up and gasped. "**What is that thing?!**"

"You're going down!" Nic roared, as so everyone could hear. When Erza heard this, she almost jumped.

"Nic!" she yelled.

Lullaby almost gasped as Nic closed in on it. Nic then gave one final push and thrust down at full speed. Upon impact, there was a tremendous shock wave that channeled through the air. Nic smashed his entire body into Lullaby, causing it to fall back onto the Conference Hall as well. There was a surge of fire and electricity flying everywhere. A huge magnitude erupted as a light shot upwards towards the sky.

Charizard looked at this light and saw it touch the sky. _'Hmph. Some landing.'_ Charizard thought. The light eventually dispelled, and a few bolts of electricity surged through the sky. After that, it was all over.

Everyone gathered around and saw the enormous crater that was the size of Lullaby. Nothing but smoke was coming out for a few minutes. All of the Guild Masters and the group saw the enormous cloud soon clear up, and found Nic barely standing with a multitude of bruises and some static going about. Some of the wizards walked down towards him.

The group made their way down towards Nic as he remained still, trying to take in deep breaths. Erza couldn't help but feel amazed. She requiped back to her Heart Kreuz Armor before approaching him. Everyone was awe struck, no question. Nic destroyed Lullaby in a single destructive move. When they all closed in on him, Nic let out a sigh as he reverted back to his normal self.

"Hey guys, can we get dinner now? God I'm hungry." Nic said casually. Well, they did forget to have dinner, so they were all a little hungry. Everyone then broke out in a joyful cheer and ran up and surrounded Nic.

"That was amazing Nic! You took down Lullaby with that sick attack! We didn't even know that was you!" Natsu commented.

"That was pretty intense." Gray said. Everyone congratulated him, but Kageyama sat there and smiled.

"They're a weird bunch, but they sure got heart." He said.

"You send flying off in the fair distance, who knew you would come about pulling a stunt like that?" Lucy said. Happy was flying in circles, joyful things turned out okay. Everyone praised him, which Nic was blushing from. Erza then walked up to him and shoved him into her breastplate.

"You did well Nic. You had me worried there for a few moments." Erza said. She tried to contain as much joy as she could and hide a faint blush as well.

Nic was there, with his head hurting. _'Well, it's the thought that counts.'_ He thought. As he was released from Erza's painful hug. Charizard then descended to the ground right next to Nic. Everyone had to make room for this sudden appearance. Erza and the others stepped back as Charizard looked at Nic.

Charizard then smirked. "You always go that extra mile, don't ya?" Charizard asked, asking the same rhetorical question Nic usually asks it. It's true, Charizard always pushes himself, but his trainer pushed the boundaries as well.

Nic smirked. "Well, what can I say? I have to be a role model for my family, am I right?" Nic said. Both trainer and Pokémon shared a laugh.

"Look at you. You're a mess!" Charizard pointed out in a happy mood from that laugh.

"Well, I did ask for this, didn't I?" Nic said. Charizard nodded in agreement. The two then fist bumped and Charizard returned to its poke ball.

Natsu was just struck the entire time Nic was talking with Charizard. Once they were done and saw Charizard return, Natsu ran up to Nic.

"Was that a dragon?" Natsu asked. He looked dead serious at Nic, wanting an answer. Nic then mentally slapped himself for two reasons. The first was blowing his pokémon's' cover, and the second was that Charizard did look like a dragon, which made Natsu think he knew Igneel.

Nic shook his head. "Sorry buddy. He's a pokémon, not an actual dragon." Nic admitted, much to Natsu's disappointment.

Some Guild Masters then started to berate him. They were furious that Fairy Tail destroyed the Conference Hall.

"Someone arrest those savages!" one of them said.

"They've destroyed an entire building!" another yelled.

Makarov looked off from the distance along with Bob and Goldmine. He stood there, interested in the boy's potential. He could sense great power dormant inside of him.

"That boy has got some guts to say the least." Goldmine commented. "That last attack was something."

"That boys got the looks too." Noted Bob. "Is he part of your guild Makarov?"

Makarov then sighed. "Well, from that display, I guess we've got ourselves another Natsu." He said in dread. He thought that the combination of Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Nic could probably wipe out a civilization. Who can say?

Back with Nic and the team, he was joking as the sound of Lullaby's destruction was music to his ears, to which everyone laughed. Though there was destruction charges on the guild, the team dealt with it by fleeing and tried avoiding the angry crowd of Guild Masters.

After those incidents occurred, the Eisenwald Guild was arrested by the Royal Army. Every member was arrested, including Kageyama, who didn't any spite being changed. The only one who wasn't arrested was Erigor, who remained at large. The Magic Council in Era contained the fractured Lullaby flute, and made sure that it would never fall into the wrong hands again. The Magic Council now had to deal with Fairy Tail's destructive charges.

* * *

><p><strong>The Magic Council in Era<strong>

"What's disturbing to me is the fact that a weapon from the Book of Zeref fell into such a Dark Guild." Org said. Org was a tall man with a grey beard.

Belno then spoke up. She was a woman with yellow hair in a spiky ponytail. "My concerns are with Fairy Tail. They keep destroying property. Take a look at this!" A green lacrima showed a display of Nic using the combination of Bolt Strike and Heat Wave and crashing down on Lullaby.

"Who is he?" another member asked. "What kind of Magic is that? I've never seen anything like it."

Belno then looked down. "Unfortunately, we have no record of this person nor where he came from. All we do know, is that he showed up in Hargeon not too long ago. He looks even stronger than Titania." Siegrain then smirked, which caught her eye. "Is there something that's peaking your interests Siegrain?" she asked in a displeased manner.

Siegrain had spiky, blue hair, a red mark on his face, and was much like the same age as Erza. "I can at least say that Fairy Tail keeps us on our toes. Without them, this world would be rather boring. Don't you agree?" Siegrain asked.

"Fairy Tail does have a plethora of strong and peculiar Mages running about. That new one seems to have our interests at the moment, am I right Belno?" confirmed Ultear.

Belno nodded. "Yes, that is true. We must also be aware of the charges they have accumulated while in Oshibana and Clover."

Another member of the council then got up from his seat. "Well now. It would appear that we have two predicaments at once, and I say we solve them fast." The Magic Council looked at the member.

"What do you propose?" Org asked.

"Fairy Tail's destructive, we have no record of a Mage that has recently destroyed Lullaby, and to me, these are fools running around boasting of their superiority. I say we set an example now, and deal with that said Mage."

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><p><strong>Once again, it was an early update. I had a snow day, again, and got half of this chapter done in a day. The weather is looking better this week, so no early updates until MAYBE Sunday or Monday, but I don't make promises.<strong>

**Compared to the other two chapters, this one was close to 10K rather than 11K, but that's because I wanted to save the Magic Council stuff later and not make this chapter any longer than it should be. **

**I'm trying to be aware of my grammar, so I look over this stuff before updating, though I do miss a few spots here and there.**

**I'm still trying to figure out Nic's personality. To be honest, I just made him up on the spot (I like to improvise). I'll get his personality cleared up, don't worry.**

**I'm having another idea for a FanFiction, but I'm still working out the details, I'll let you guys know if it happens. **

**With that said and done, Favor, Follow, & Review guys. Reviews really help. Review!**

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><p><strong>Next Time: Injustice is Served<strong>


	4. Injustice is Served

Chapter 4 – Injustice is Served

**What up people! Sorry for the wait, I've been having some Writer's Block and my mind couldn't think for a few days. Add the fact that I'm making other stories for my friends. All of this has my head spinning. Ugh.**

**It would be very helpful to get more followers and more favorites and more reviews as this story progresses. **

**I thank all of you at this point for favoring and following my story, so let's get this show on the road!**

**To Recap:**

As the group comprised of Erza, Gray, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy, and an injured Kageyama get out of the Wind Barrier with the help of Lucy's newest Celestial Spirit, Virgo, Nic confronts Erigor. It wasn't too long after that Natsu came and defeated Erigor. Kageyama managed to reach Clover, but surrendered to Makarov due to a change in heart. The Lullaby demon then emerges and then Erza, Gray, Natsu, and Nic fight the monster. Nic is sent flying somewhere in the mountains as the fight continued. Nic manages to defeat Lullaby with the aid of Charizard, destroying the Conference Hall in the process. This caught the Magic Council's attention.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4 – Injustice is Served<strong>

Nic and his pals returned to Fairy Tail soon after the issue with Lullaby was taken care of. It had been a little over a week since then, and things were going by rather smoothly. Nic was wounded badly from fighting Lullaby, so he had to get treated once he got back to Fairy Tail. It only took a couple of days for him to be back on his feet and feeling like himself.

As usual, the guild was filled with fights, of which Nic stayed out of. He just hides behind the bar and plug in his earbuds. Cana accompanies him to drink in peace, though the noise was rather bothersome. Cana and Nic came to respect each other in the matter that they don't get in fights with the other guild members; if anything, it's more like a routine. Nic came to be friends with Cana and sit by her often, though he never drinks. Cana didn't mind Nic around her at all, though she only found him appealing in the fact the two just made a routine to stay out of fights. Other than that, she isn't that attracted to him in any manner. Of course she finds Nic to have some class at least, but the fact remained that he can act like Erza to stop a fight just like the first day. Nic thought Cana to be a good person. Though she might be the heaviest drinker, she's at least a little more sane than all of the others. Nic came to acknowledge Cana as a reliable friend and someone to talk to when he's drained.

One day, just after Nic had fully healed, the guild pushed their luck too far. The guild was feeling rowdy, and Natsu and a shirtless Gray were about to throw down.

"Bring it you flaming lizard!" Gray shouted.

Natsu lit his fists up in flames, obviously not backing down. "I'm all fired up now you walking snow cone!" Natsu retorted. The two then started to thrash about, getting the rest of the guild involved as well. Cana was feeling the tension rise and started to get up. She was about to bring a barrel with her behind the bar counter when she noticed that Nic and Greninja were following.

"They never cease to annoy us, do they?" Cana rhetorically asked. Nic just shook his head and Greninja shrugged. The three then were about to crouch down, when Gray was send flying into Nic, who hit the wall. Nic fell to the floor with Gray tumbling over him. Nic groaned as Gray got up on his two feet.

Nic noticed that the flying Gray knocked his phone and earbuds out of his hands and ears. He saw the two lying on the floor in front of Gray. At that moment, he was about to reach for them, when Gray stepped on his phone without even paying attention. The phone had a super intense casing that could withstand a sixty foot drop, so Gray's foot didn't even come close to cracking it. Gray didn't even notice he stepped all over Nic's sanity as he jumped over the bar counter, shouting at Natsu and getting back into the fight.

Regardless, even if it wasn't damaged, Gray has done the unthinkable. Nic was frozen for a few seconds, but then a death-like aura surged around him, making Greninja shudder.

This left Cana curious. "Why are you shaking like a terrified dog?" Cana asked the Ninja Pokémon. Greninja then turned and looked at her with eyes that made him look like he's seeing a ghost.

"You're about to find out." Greninja shuddered. Nic then slowly got up and slowly walked in front of the counter, gazing horrendously at the fight. Nic began to exhale and inhale deeply, making Greninja even more terrified. "You'll see what happens when people even touch Nic's phone." Cana then turned back towards Nic. She could see the insanity in his eyes, which made a seat drop on her face.

Nic then stomped really loud on the floor. "GRAY!" he roared, making the entire guild stop in place. They all turned towards the insane Nic, who was avenging his phone that was stepped on. Natsu and Gray stopped in place and looked at Nic.

"What is it?! Can't you see I'm busy dealing with-!" Gray didn't get to finish as Nic transformed into the Zap Plate Form and came at Gray in a blink of an eye. Nobody saw that coming. Nic gave him a Thunder Punch across the face that send him crashing into a table nearby. Nic unleashed a tremendous Thunderbolt on the defenseless, not to mention half naked, Gray as he was repeatedly pulverized by a continuous beating with Thunder Punch.

Natsu and the other guild members looked on as Nic had an insane look. No one knew Nic had this side before, which made them quiver. This side of Nic was more like Erza, but much, much worse. Natsu couldn't even move as he looked as Gray was repeatedly smacked down.

Nic pulled Gray up and looked at him dead in the eye. Gray had static running all over his body, along with multiple bruises, probably a few broken bones, and a new found fear for Nic.

"W-what did I do?!" Gray stuttered. Nic, finally easing up, reverted back to himself and stomped over towards the bar to get his phone and earbuds off the ground. He then held it up for everyone to see.

"You stepped on my sanity!" Nic roared. "You do not EVER touch my phone!" Now Cana knew what Greninja meant by that. Nic then stomped over towards Gray again, and gave him the most demonic death glare that could leave the mind scarred for life. Gray almost let out a yelp as he stood in fear. Then Nic roared at the top of his lungs. "DON'T EVER TOUCH MY SANITY!" There was a brief silence that fell, which was then stopped when Nic was turning and walking back towards the bar. The guild was now terrified of Nic's wrath as they are with Erza's. He then turned towards the guild and stood quiet and glaring deeply. "And that goes for all of you." He growled, turning back and going back to the counter and sitting on a bar stool and putting in his earbuds.

In retrospect, he broke a table, nearly shattered the floor, made the entire guild quiver, and nearly ripped Gray into pieces. All because of Nic's phone getting stepped on. They all realized that they should never mess with two things: Erza's cheesecake and Nic's electronics.

Just a little bit rolled by, about an hour to be more accurate, and things were still quiet. The repairs were considered done, Gray was all bandaged up, and Nic was still sitting on the stool with his earbuds in his ears. Cana returned to her seat while Greninja stuck by his trainer's side. He knows just how his trainer acts. He's aware that Nic has cooled down by now. Nic usually listens to his music for a loooooong period of time, during that period, his mind and body gets riled up and then tired. The thing about Nic was that he listened to so much music that his mind and body are burned out from intense from the music he listens to and was now relaxed.

Nic opened his eyes and sighed, as though he'd was tired of something that was bothering him.

Mira noticed this and looked at Nic. "Is something wrong?" Mira wondered. Nic then looked at the innocent person and took in a deep breath.

"I think I need something." Nic said. Mira instantly thought that it was food, considering he hadn't had much to eat all day.

"What can I get you?" she asked casually. Nic had to think about this for a moment. What could he have? Only one idea sprung up in his mind.

"Get me some strawberry cheesecake if possible." Nic ordered. This almost made Cana fall out of her seat and Mira almost tripped at this sudden order.

"Are you serious?" Cana asked getting back onto her stool. Regardless, Mira did as asked and whipped up some strawberry cheesecake for him.

"Here you go. I must say, the only other person who eats this stuff is Erza." Said Mira, still rather surprised.

"Actually, do you think I can get this in a container?" Nic asked, which made the two wizards flinch.

"Wait, you're gonna save that for later?" Cana asked in disbelief. Nic then looked at his drunken pal and looked down like he was trying to evade something.

"It's not for me, it's for someone else." Nic explained. At this indication, Mira almost immediately caught on to Nic's hint. She had a smirk across her face.

"Oh, I see. You planning on giving that piece to a special someone?" Mira teased. Nic tried to look away, but that only made things worse for him. Cana caught onto his intentions and knew he was planning on giving that to. She too was smirking.

"She loves her cheesecake lover boy." Cana teased. Greninja didn't bother. He respected Nic, so he just looked at him with his usual blank face.

Having a really long sigh over and done with, Nic finally got a container and put the cheesecake inside. He then put it into his coat pocket so nothing would happen to it. With all of that said and done, he then recalled he had to finish something he has been holding off for some time now.

He got up and stretched. He then walked over towards Natsu and Happy at a nearby table. He looked down to see Natsu eating some sort of dish while Happy was devouring a large fish Lucy promised him.

"Hey, Natsu." Nic said, getting the Dragon Slayer's attention. Natsu was still feeling a little bit freaked out from earlier, but saw that Nic had no intention to break Natsu's bones at this time.

"Oh, hey Nic." Replied Natsu.

"Hey Natsu, got a minute?" Nic wanted to discuss a matter with him. Natsu could clearly see that this was something vital. He wolfed down his food and goy up. Happy was too indulged in his beloved fish.

"What up Nic?" Natsu asked curiously. He saw Nic walk outside, and Natsu followed suit. Greninja then recalled what Nic had agreed to. He got up and followed Nic. Cana just looked on as she wasn't that interested and resumed to drinking her booze.

Outside the Guild Hall, Nic stopped and turned towards Natsu, who stopped behind him. Natsu was wondering as to what in the world Nic was doing.

"Natsu, I do believe that we had an agreement." Nic reminded. Natsu then crossed his arms and recalled anything that had to do with an agreement. Eventually, it finally hit him. He was wide eyed and he was just about to breathe fire in excitement.

"Haha! Yes! I finally get my match!" Natsu yelled. Everyone inside the guild could hear Natsu roaring about him and Nic about to battle. Everyone then began making their way outside to watch this fight. Cana then smirked, thinking this would be a good way to pay her tab.

A crowd of Fairy Tail Guild members were circling around them, ready to see this sight. Greninja slowly proceeded to the middle to be the referee. Cana already had bets up on the board. A lot of people, if not all, betted on Natsu. Only a few people had bet on Nic. They weren't so sure as to how this fight could turn out.

"Hey flame brain, you better not lose this!" yelled Gray, of whom was still in bandages. Happy and Lucy eventually showed up in the crowd. Lucy was shocked to find the two about to fight.

"No way! Those two are really going through with this?!" exclaimed Lucy. She took a quick glance down and saw that Happy wasn't by her side. She looked left and right and stood dumbfounded to see the cat bet in this match. Of course, he put his money on Natsu. Cana also pitched in on the betting that she came up with. She decided to bet on Nic just because she knows his strengths and weaknesses better than Natsu does.

"Hey Lucy, did you bet?" asked the tiny blue cat walking over towards the blond.

"You kidding me?! I need all the money I can get if I'm to pay my rent!" exclaimed the Celestial Wizard. She then felt something behind her. She turned to see Erza come up from behind. She had been away on another job and had just got back. "Oh, Erza!" Lucy said surprised.

"How have you been Lucy?" asked the scarlet haired Mage. She then noticed the fight was about to start. She saw that it was Natsu and Nic. This got her interests. "I see. I do remember that Nic has fully recovered, and did promise Natsu a fight." She recalled correctly. She then let loose a small smile and Lucy took note of her looking at Nic. She'd put two and two together and held a hand to her mouth.

'_Does Erza like Nic?!'_ This thought ringed in her head for a few moments. She didn't expect such a scary wizard to be soft, especially Erza.

Gray then walked up to Erza. "Hey, just in time." He said. Erza then took note of his bandages all over his body and the multitude of bruises.

"Did Natsu finally beat you?" she asked calmly. Gray then gritted his teeth, thinking if Natsu actually had beaten him. That left a cold feeling down Gray's spine; then again, he does Ice Make Magic. He then looked at Nic, which made her look back at him.

"Nah, let's just say that you'd never want to separate Nic from his devices. One minute he's mild, but then you swat that device out of him and the next thing you know is that your spine snaps." Exaggerated Gray. This left Erza shocked. She had no idea Nic, of all people, could do such a thing. Erza's beaten Gray up before, but not to such extremes. Nic obviously treasures his electronics, and will destroy all those who stand between him and his sanity.

Natsu was just about ready to make the first move. His fists were all fired up. He smirked full of joy that he was going to finally fight Nic. "I've been wondering who was better!" Natsu said. Nic just cracked his knuckles in response.

Greninja finally made it to the middle, where he would overlook the battle. In his head, a thought popped in his head. "Hey, Nic!" called out Greninja. "Don't you find this ironic? A pokémon is refereeing and the human is battling!"

Nic almost broke out in laughter, but managed to suppress it into a loud chuckle. "If that isn't ironic, I don't know what is!" Nic shouted back to his old friend. Greninja only grinned for a few moments before getting serious. He then held up an arm, getting everyone's attention.

"The battle between Nic and Natsu will now commence! This will be a one-on-one with no time limit!" recited Greninja, as he heard all of this numerous times in his past battles. Nic transformed into his Splash Plate Form, giving him an advantage with water against fire.

"Natsu." Nic explained. "I'm aware that you would just eat my flames if I change to Flame Plate Form, but I wanna see how well you do to stop my water attacks!" Nic was testing Natsu. He wanted to see how Natsu reacts to these situations.

All Natsu did was intensify his flaming fists, eager to see how this battle could turn in his favor. "Now I'm really fired up!" proclaimed the Dragon Slayer.

Greninja saw that both were ready. With a swift motion of his arm, Greninja signaled the two to commence. "Let the battle begin!" Greninja announce. He immediately leaped away and got out of Natsu and Nic's way.

Natsu went at Nic with a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist. Nic didn't hesitate to intercept with an Aqua Jet. Nic surrounded himself in water and lunged at Natsu. The two attacks made contact, making a shockwave run through the area. Everyone covered up as they were either drenched or fried. Natsu was trying to push through the Aqua Jet, but the flames on his fists went out and he jumped back before getting directly hit. Nic leaped back and unleashed a Bubblebeam attack. Natsu jumped and dodged with ease.

"**Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!**" Ntsu was then encased in fire and came down like a missile on Nic.

"**Aqua Jet!**" Once again, Nic lunged at Natsu and the two attacks collided in midair. Neither side was giving an edge this time. Natsu was pushing with all of his might, trying to overpower his aquatic adversary.

Since neither side was giving in, a huge steam cloud began to take form and swallow up the two. Water and heat creates steam, and Natsu's flames were dangerously hot. Nic didn't think this was gonna do much good for him. With quick reflexes, Nic redirected himself upwards, and Natsu lost his balance. Now high in the air, Nic unleashed a Bubblebeam down on the Dragon Slayer, sending him to the ground, which had a thin layer of steam all about.

If Gray had a shirt on, he would've taken it off by now, because the steam felt like a sauna. "Man, are they trying to dry us out?" wondered the bandaged Wizard.

As Nic was falling, his vision of Natsu was hazy because of the thin layer of steam. He then saw a flash of fire from within the steam cloud and the next thing he knew, he was kicked in the abdomen with a flaming heel. "**Fire Dragon's Claw!**" Natsu roared as he propelled himself up and dlivered that blow to Nic. He then spun and delivered another kick to Nic, sending him crashing into the earth.

The crowd was going nuts for this fight. For the beginning, it was a real bang. Nic slowly arose from the earth, brushing off any rock deposit that was on him. "Well, that could've gone worse." Nic said out loud. He and Natsu then glared the other down, awaiting to see who will make the next move. _'This is going to be harder than I thought. If Natsu's flames and my water attacks keep at this, he'll just keep using the steam produced to his advantage. I have to shift the odds. At this point, our attacks are balanced due to Natsu's physical prowess.' _Nic thought, but then another thought came to Nic's mind in those few moments. _'So I guess this is how pokémon battle. It's interesting.' _He then relaxed his body and brought his two palms together.

By this point, the steam finally cleared. Natsu was already prepared for his next shot, but then everyone looked up and saw a small rain cloud over their heads. It was big enough to cover the small area around them. Then it started pouring down. "Let's see how you fair when I increase my Water Type moves. **Rain Dance!**"

"Oh dear, I forgot to bring my umbrella." Complained Mira as everyone was getting drenched. Lucy was trying to cover herself, but Gray and Erza didn't bother. They were too focused as to where Nic was going with this strategy.

Natsu noticed that his fire was dwindling into embers. This rain was also weakening his fire. "Heh, I take it that this is a Pokémon move?" Natsu asked, still with a confident smirk on his face.

"Yeah. Now be ready!" Nic shouted. "**Brine!**" An enhanced torrent of saltwater came raging out of Nic's mouth, and the size of the torrent stunned the crowd.

"**Fire Dragon's Roar!**" the torrent of fire was much smaller than usual. To be more accurate, it was half as powerful, while Brine was enhanced by 50 percent. Brine easily overpowered the roar and rushed right into Natsu. He was sent soaring back and rolled few times before face planting into the ground. When he slowly got up, he opened his eyes wide and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"MY EYES! THEY BURN!" Natsu roared as his eyes were red. He stomped all about and ran back and forth in comical fashion. Nic raised a brow in remembering that Brine was saltwater.

"Oops." He said quietly. He then thought of a way as to clean his eyes and do damage, as long as Natsu doesn't look up and have the rain clean his eyes instead. "How about this! **Hydro Pump!**" A mirror of water then appeared and unleashed a _monstrous _torrent. If the enhanced Brine wasn't bad enough, Hydro Pump was like having an entire ocean fly at you. The guild members gawked and recoiled at this monstrous attack. Natsu was too distracted to notice. When he saw a blurry vision of blue, he gulped.

The last thing anyone saw was a mountain of water exploding everywhere upon impact. They all heard a loud "BOOM" and then they were wet all over, not that Rain Dance did that already.

Eventually, they saw a drenched Natsu several feet from where he was standing. He was still up, but his body was somewhat drained from the onslaught of water attacks. He opened his eyes, fresh as fresh could get. He gasped for air, as he had been hit with water head on and could hardly breathe during that period. "Man, that was refreshing and painful!" Natsu stated with his eyes glaring at Nic.

'_I have to hurry. Rain Dance is going to run out of time.'_ Nic thought. In haste, he used a speedy Aqua Jet that looked like a raging torpedo coming at the Dragon Slayer. Natsu then ducked at the last moment and gave Nic an uppercut that send Nic to the ground with a big thud. He then used a weakened Fire Dragon's Claw and gave a kick that sent Nic flying. Nic landed on his back and grunted as his Aqua Jet didn't finish Natsu. He slowly got up and noticed that the rain finally stopped. The clouds quickly dispersed and everyone was relieved to have been rid of the falling water.

'_Well, gotta give him credit for this one. I know Aqua Jet is fast, but even so, that was quick thinking of him.'_ Nic thought. Natsu lit his whole body in flames. The water on him quickly evaporated and steam was coming off from him, literally. Natsu smirked and lunged at Nic.

"**Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!**" Natsu roared. Nic stood in place and waited, just like what Natsu did. He waited, and finally got his opportunity.

"**Crabhammer!**" With perfect timing, Nic's left arm was encased in water and shaped into a huge crab claw. Nic brought it down like the almighty power of Thor's hammer and sent Natsu hurling into the earth. Rock deposits were flying everywhere. Nic stepped back to see if Natsu was still able to continue, only to see him leap out and try hitting Nic with back-to-back Fire Dragon's Iron Fists and Claws. Eventually, he landed a direct hit on Nic with a Fire Dragon's Claw and send him sideways a few feet. Nic grunted and then smirked.

"I have to say, you're pretty good!" Nic shouted to the Dragon Slayer.

"Not bad yourself!" Natsu replied.

Nic then sighed and began glowing. He showed that he had shifted to his Sky Plate Form. "I would continue on with my Splash Plate Form, but seeing as to how we keeping being equal with my water and your intense flames, I'll have to resort to using another strategy."

Natsu only smirked at his plan. "If you think that'll beat me, then you're wrong!" Natsu proclaimed. "**Fire Dragon's Roar!**" He then unleashed a torrent of fire at Nic, who quickly ascended and dodged with ease.

"**Wing Attack!**" Nic shouted. His wings then glowed and he soared down towards Natsu.

"Let me show you what mine is like! **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!**" A whiplash of flames then collide with Nic's wings. The two attacks broke apart and Nic ascended back into the air.

"**Acrobatics!**" With swift speed Nic descended and knocked Natsu around a few times, going at blinding speed in all directions. (I would imagine that having a phone on him counts as an item, so it does normal instead of double.) Nic was then grabbed by Natsu by the leg and was thrown. Niv straightened out just in time before Natsu shot a Fire Dragon's Roar, to which Nic countered with Air Slash. The two attacks ended in a draw.

Both sides weren't looking tired. Natsu didn't stop to rest as he leaped and aimed a Fire Dragon's Claw at Nic, of whom easily avoided by flying in another direction and strike his back with a Wing Attack. Natsu fell, but landed safely and looked up at his adversary.

'_Even in Sky Plate Form, we're even. Types really didn't matter much here lie in Kalos…hold up! Wait a minute!'_ Nic suddenly had a realization. _'Types didn't matter, but weaknesses still apply! And I know Natsu's greatest weakness.' _Nic then had a small grin form on his face.

"What's funny?" Natsu demanded.

"Alright flame brain! This is your only chance to give up! Do you wish to concede?" Nic asked. Natsu didn't even budge at his statement. Erza looked up and noticed Nic was planning on something, and she also remembered Natsu improvises in fights.

"It looks as though Nic has the advantage." Erza stated, getting Lucy and Gray's attention.

"What do you mean?" Gray said, angered that he would lose his betting money on Natsu.

"Take a look." Lucy and Gray then noticed as how Nic was grinning confidently. "You saw how Nic had the advantage when the rain was coming down. He knew fire doesn't go well against water and he used that to his advantage. He then shifted to that form and can dodge and strike with ease." Erza deciphered.

Gray then raised a brow. "Now that you mention it, Nic does seem to have a brain unlike that walking match stick." He commented.

Natsu only had his flames on his fists intensify. He wasn't gonna quit, that was a given. "When I'm finished, _you'll _be the one to give up!" Natsu then leaped and tried scoring another hit on Nic.

"**Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!**" Natsu roared as he was getting closer and closer to Nic.

"I warned ya!" Nic shouted. Natsu was about to hit, when Nic flew in a small circle and grabbed Ntsu from behind. He then held him by the shoulders and watched as Natsu was struggling to break free.

"What is this?! Let go!" Natsu roared with flaming limbs flying all about and shooting fire in the air. Nic only had to jerk a little to get him to stop. This motion made Natsu's face turn green and vulnerable.

"He's using Natsu's motion sickness to his advantage!" Lucy stated.

"Going up!" Nic then dragged Natsu high into the air. The sudden rush made Natsu's face even more green than it was before. The high altitude made the guild members look like ants. When Nic got to a certain point, he stopped and then did a full rotation to gain momentum for hurling Natsu straight down. "**Sky Drop!**" Natsu was falling at a fast rate. His face now looked as though he was about to explode with vomit any time now. Nic then added insult to injury by using Hurricane while Natsu was falling, making him spin uncontrollably. Natsu then crashed into the earth and everyone was flabbergasted to see the Dragon Slayer lying there about to spew his guts to oblivion. He was barely conscious, but unable to move. Nic descended to the ground and changed back to himself.

"Natsu is unable to continue, the winner of this battle is Nic!" Greninja refereed. Everyone then cheered as Nic actually managed to defeat Natsu. Some gazed in disbelief at this sudden victory. Everyone came and circled Nic, going up and congratulating him.

"That was so cool!" "I never thought you'd pull a stunt like that!" "That was amazing Nic!"

He was getting so much praise that he almost broke out in a blush, but what really got him flustered was Erza in front of him and smiling. She was happy at the fact that Nic was able to conquer such a tremendous obstacle with the level of skill he had. Though he was only in Fiore for a short while, he was surpassing Natsu!

"I'm proud of you Nic." Erza said in praise. Nic only smiled back in joy of hearing her compliment him.

"Thanks Erza. Really means a lot." Nic replied. He looked behind Erza and saw Natsu rising from the ground, over his motion sickness.

"Gah! Get ready for another go!" Natsu shouted.

Nic turned towards the irritated Dragon Slayer and smirked. "Oh, you want to take another trip into the sky I see." Nic said, reminding Natsu of that horrible feeling. The thought of being dragged up into the air almost made him pale.

"You dimwit! I lost my winnings because of you!" Gray shouted in frustration.

"Oh shut it Gray, it's over." Cana said. You can't blame Gray for being upset, almost everyone was mentally frustrated. The only people who had actually bet on Nic was Cana and Mira.

Makarov then came up towards Nic and stood in front of him. "I must say, that was an interesting fight between the two of you." The Master commented. "You have shown this guild that even with the smallest of experience, you can conquer the impossible." He then turned towards Natsu and had a blank face, which then turned to a comical anger. "I LOST MY WINNINGS ON YOU NATSU! 1000J WASTED!" Makarov berated, almost shattering Natsu's eardrum.

"I didn't know Master was a gambler?" Mira said to Elfman.

"He gambled like a real man!" Elfman stated.

They all then heard a loud clap. This clap echoed all about and got everyone's attention. They all turned to see a humanoid frog thing in clothes and walked up to them.

"May I have your attention please. I have come on behalf of the Magic Council." The frog announced. This astonished everyone, all except Nic. Nic had no clue as to who or what the Magic Council was. As far as he's concerned, they're nothing at this point.

"Do I have to ask what the Magic Council is?" Nic asked.

"The Magic Council governs all guilds and their actions. They even make laws and make sure that they are followed, and we're being held accountable for a lot of damage." Levy pointed out. Nic then looked back at the frog and crossed his arms.

"Not very welcoming." Nic stated.

Even Greninja wasn't feeling welcomed. Though a frog herself, her disposition made an ugly first impression of the Magic Council. "Not very satisfying." Greninja muttered.

"The Magic Council holds charges to two members of your guild in regards to the Eisenwald incident. Erza Scarlet, you and the Mage with the sunglasses are under arrest!" the frog announced.

"WHAT?!" Natsu roared. Everyone was in shock, and they were frozen. Natsu was so irritated, but Nic kept his cool.

Nic has mentally cursing, thinking that his cover was blown. The Magic Council must have found out during that time period and wanted to take him for something. This boiled Nic on the inside, but nevertheless stayed calm. "It's okay Natsu." Nic assured. "If they want to take us in, then we can't argue. It would only make things worse." With reluctance, Natsu stomped about and stood in place in rage of having his friends turned over to the authorities. Nic then stepped forward to confront the frog messenger. "If you would be as so kind as to rephrase that so it would sound like we would be escorted instead of arrested please." Nic asked sincerely. "It would make me feel much more comfortable." The lady frog took a pause and nodded.

"Very well." She had a mean tone still, but showed no reluctance. "Erza Scarlet and sunglasses Mage, the Magic Council wishes to have you escorted to their presence." She rephrased.

"Thank you." Nic said. He then turned towards his Greninja and they looked at each other. For a good few seconds, Greninja knew what it had to do. He knew well enough to keep an eye on Natsu, knowing how impulsive he is. With a quick nod from Greninja, Nic turned and he as well as Erza had wrist cuffs around them. This prevented the use of their Magic, but had no affect on Nic, considering it wasn't Magic he had. Erza was rather surprised at to how well Nic is taking this situation. He wasn't resisting nor was he thrashing about, guess that's another thing to distinguish between him and Natsu.

The ride there was rather quiet. Neither of them didn't say much. This really wasn't the time to speak, considering they were being "escorted". Nic sat on one end, while Erza sat across from him. Almost the entire way, he was just trying to doze off and shake off, but to no avail. All he could really do was just either look down or up. If he looked down, he'd be staring at his knees and zoning out. If he were to look up, he'd find himself staring into Erza's eyes.

Erza wasn't feeling any better than he was. She didn't think words could get them out of their predicament. She was just silent, but noticed Nic was staring at her almost occasionally. She couldn't help but stare back. Eventually, it was a staring contest that neither had realized. Nic smiled at Erza, which made her smile back. Though they weren't at the right place, nor the right time, the two were feeling rather warm and fuzzy inside.

When they'd finally reached a stop, they were asked to exit the cart and they were "escorted" inside.

'_This place feels like a bad omen.'_ Nic thought, feeling unsatisfactory rush through every part of his body. The frog lady was leading Erza and Nic down the large hallway, still in cuffs, where they'd stopped in front of a man.

This blue haired man with a red mark on his face was looking rather nonchalant, leaning back against a pillar. When he'd open his eyes, Erza was wide eyed.

"Siegrain." Erza gasped. Upon his presence, the frog lady bowed down towards him. Already, Nic was feeling antsy to punch him, but he didn't know why. It was just a foreboding feeling.

"It's been awhile Erza." Siegrain stated, standing up. He couldn't help but smirk as Erza tensed up. "Don't get so agitated. At ease. Me, as well as those old farts in the room up ahead, are just projections from Era. It wasn't found necessary to go in person."

Erza shot lasers at him. "So you're behind this?"

"Don't be so anxious, me and Yajima are the only ones who favor Fairy Tail. The other Council members don't like to take blames, especially the recent Clover destruction, so we had to make you our scapegoat." Siegrain explained with a grin.

Erza was extremely frustrated. She was clenching her fists. It was taking Nic a huge amount of self-control to keep him from going wild on Siegrain. It was clear he was taunting not just Erza, but Fairy Tail in general. Siegrain then put his fingers on her chin and leaned in to whisper. This made Nic almost lose it.

"One more thing." Siegrain said in a whisper. "Keep your mouth shut about you know what. For both of our sakes." Erza had to suppress a growl.

And that's when Nic finally snapped. He then stomped his foot, which made Siegrain and Erza turn towards him. "Shut it!" Nic retorted.

Siegrain almost went wide eyed at this sudden burst of emotion. The fog messenger almost jumped in fear. "Do not ever threaten my comrades of Fairy Tail. If so, you're in for a world of misery." Nic growled. Erza shook her head at him, telling to quit it. Despite what she was warning him about, Nic sneered and glared at Siegrain.

"You must be that new Fairy Tail recruit that can do Take Over." Siegrain said in a calm manner. "What's your name?"

"Nic." He answered.

"Well Nic, first of all, the Magic Council has gotten interested in you since your unique abilities alone accidentally destroyed the Conference Hall. Secondly, you'd be wise to not make an enemy out of them."

Nic was well aware of the situation he's been put in, but the sudden impulse got the best of him. Though it was a projection, Nic grabbed Siegrain by the collar, with both hands in cuffs, and pulled him closer. Siegrain was shocked to say the least. They made eye contact, and Siegrain can see the threatening disposition within his eyes.

'_This guy.' _Siegrain thought. _'What is this Magic? It feels strange. Is this so he can make contact with my projection? But he has wrist cuffs on. What is he?'_

"If you mess with my friends, you mess with me." Nic proclaimed. He then let go and sneered at the councilman. Siegrain regained his composure and straightened out his collar.

"Anyways, the council will be waiting for you two." His projection then disappeared, leaving the frog to shudder, Erza, and Nic.

Erza turned displeasingly at her friend. "He's right. You shouldn't have done that. You musn't have the council as an enemy." She said very seriously. She only got a sneer as Nic looked away.

"He had what was coming to him. Besides, as far as the Council's concerned, they've already made an enemy." Nic growled, still frustrated. Erza could clearly see that Nic wasn't going to reason with her berating. This was a whole different side of Nic. The side that she didn't see when Nic's phone was stepped on. The feeling of Nic's demeanor felt like an absolute zero chill that made your mind shatter. Erza felt this side was even scarier than her.

'_This side of Nic, was this what Gray meant?'_ wondered Erza. _'Compared to his mild, serious, yet relaxed self, this felt like the opposite. I heard that Nic was fearful when his phone was stepped on, but did Siegrain taunting me cause this? Am I another reason Nic can be this vile when I'm threatened?' _These feelings changed from a frozen chill into a twister of emotions from within. She felt touched, but disappointed. Scared, yet impressed. She then realized Nic's intentions were to protect her, and she didn't blame him for what he did. If anything, she'd might have done the same thing, but would be able to suppress such an act. Nevertheless, this side of Nic was still surging, and she would guess that the meeting with the Council will only make such matters worse. The more she worried, the more concerned she got for Nic's safety.

The frog messenger got over her shock and slowly proceeded and the two followed.

"Thanks Nic." Erza said very softly. "I appreciate what you did for me."

Now a little at ease, Nic grinned just for a few moments, though he didn't want to look Erza in the eyes after his behavior. If anything, he was ashamed of his actions, but knew it couldn't be helped.

In the courtroom. The pair stood in front of the seven members of the Magic Council. Erza kept a straight face, but Nic was only angry. If there was one thing that Nic hated more than the constant guild fighting, it would be authority. Nic has been free for over three years, and he's being restrained by some dimwitted cowards who refuse to take the blame. It was unbearable enough to accused of shallow crimes, but arrested and brought for display almost made Nic lose it again.

"Before us are the defendants, Erza Scarlet and the sunglasses Mage." The frog said. "Please take the stand you two." Erza then took the stand, followed by a boiling Nic.

"Erza Scarlet, you and your friend right next to you stand before the council to answer to charges in regards to the Eisenwald incident. These charges include damage to Oshibana Station, the destruction of the Clover Canyon Bridge, and destruction of the Clover Conference Hall. Witnesses describe a scarlet haired woman for the Oshibana incident, but the charges expand to your friend of whom did damage to not only Oshibana Station, but the bridge as well as the Conference Hall." Org announced. He then turned towards Nic. "The Take Over Mage must be questioned as to what his business was as to his business with the Eisenwald incident and whereabouts beforehand."

Nic had to keep his cool. If they were to ask him as to where he lived, he would have to think of a convincing lie. He ease himself, making him look more calm, but still internally erupting.

"Take Over Mage, may begin questioning by-" He was put to a halt when Siegrain held up a hand.

"I wouldn't advise having you questioning this young man Org." noted Siegrain. "He doesn't cooperate well with threats." Siegrain then looked at Nic, and then looked back at Org just to avoid Nic's angry glare. Org simply sneered at him.

"To be honest, I couldn't care less which one of you questions me. I would never cooperate with such harsh and imposing individuals, and threats and demands only makes it worse." Nic informed. His attitude and tone astonished and slightly irritated the Magic Council.

"I'm well aware of your impulsive actions." Siegrain implied. "But you do realize that you're in front of the entire Magic Council, right?"

Nic almost began gritting his teeth. Being told what to do by cowards is just as infuriating as his demeanor without his phone or earbuds. "Doesn't mean anything to me." Nic said.

"You dare speak with such an attitude at this Council?" exclaimed Org. "There is absolutely no denial to us. You will comply or-!" He was cut off by Nic held up his cuffs as if he was holding up a hand.

"I think you understand my point." Nic said. "Like I said, I'd never cooperate with push overs." Everyone was speechless, even Erza for Nic's defiance in the Magic Council. Before things could get out of hand. Yajima stood up and held out a hand.

Yajima was a small old man with a toothbrush moustache that goes halfway towards his mouth. He had a long sleeve shirt that was brown and a spiked hat. Like Siegrain stated, he favors Fairy Tail due to his friendship with Master Makarov.

"I'd think it would be best as to drop all of this and have Ultear question him. She does have a way with comforting such gutsy people." Yajima said. Org only groaned as to how Yajima had a point. Ultear then stepped in.

Ultear was a pale-skinned young woman with dark purple hair and had brown eyes. She had a voluptuous figure much like Erza, and had a revealing dress with a stripped pattern. The way she was gazing at Nic was making Erza almost quiver in place. She didn't like that look.

"I suppose you're right Yajima." Ultear said. "Best I should handle this situation and question him. Shall we?"

Nic couldn't care less of her approach, because he was aware of her motives as to get information out of him. He eased himself a little and looked at the young council member. "Yes." Nic answered.

"Very well, shall we start with your name. I do believe that calling you other than your name would become rather cumbersome." Ultear explained in a sultry tone, which made Erza almost glare at her.

"Sure. I'm Nic Pularis, my "Take Over" is a personal transformation that's called Multitype, a transformation only I can do. It does share traits, but only outfit wise and with the exception of my eyes." Nic thoroughly explained.

"Fine, how about your history. We have absolutely no records of you. You only showed after Hargeon. Can you please explain?" Ultear asked.

Nic came up with a convincing lie on the spot. "You see, my mother and father were wandering merchants. We were pretty self-sufficient, and we made a lot of money. One day, when I was seven, my mother and father passed away from natural causes, mainly getting ill. That left me all by myself to wander about. My parents had a little bit of Magic in their heritage, so they'd managed to teach me a thing or two before Death took them to the heavens. I'd managed to thrive on what I could buy and find all around me. When my merchant supplies reached zero, I had to fend for myself and use what money I had left. This happened when I was only eleven. So for the next seven years, I have been wandering about, trying to find a suitable home. When I heard about guilds, I thought I could rest easy and live there. I scoped every town and found their guilds to be ruthless and far too demanding, so my search lead me all over the place. Eventually, I found myself in Hargeon and that's when I heard of the guild known as Fairy Tail. You can say that brings us to right now."

His lie was very convincing. He made it sound like he was retelling an actual event. Even Erza almost bought his story, and then she reminded herself he was trying to cover up his identity of his other world experience. Even the Magic Council bought this lie. Siegrain smirked at this statement. Nic knew Siegrain was up to something.

'_Siegrain. I know you're up to no good, but I can't seem to figure it out. I don't trust him.' _Nic thought. During the story, Nic cooled down and wasn't feeling as rowdy.

"Very well. I guess that's all we needed from you." Ultear stated. "Also, I guess that's why you display such tyrannical behavior towards us. You've been alone throughout your life, so you weren't put down by superiors. We'll let you off easy, but be aware that outbursts like those could lead to such drastic consequences." Nic was fully aware of this. Siegrain said not to have the Magic Council as an enemy, but also knew that he was still being used as an example to those who break the law.

"That is a given." Org stated. "Don't step out of line again Nic Pularis, understand?" He had a very threatening tone, which of course set of fumes in Nic again.

"I get it, but it's not like I'd listen to you." Nic retorted. Org stood up in rage.

"You quit that feisty attitude young man! You're only making this harder than it is!" Org stated in an irritated tone this time, to which Nic brushed off.

"Does this look like the face of mercy?" Nic glared back, showing a very foul facial expression. The two glared at one another for some time, and then Siegrain broke it up.

"Org. I do believe that this staring contest should come to an end." He insisted. With a sigh, Org complied and sat back down.

"You better watch out, Nic Pularis." Org stated. "You are dismissed, you can go-!" Just then, a large explosion from behind. There was also a thick cloud of Smokescreen that made the entrance even more dramatic. Just then, Greninja leaped in with Natsu dressed in a hilarious armor.

"I'M THE CRAZY LADY THAT YOU OLD TIMERS HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR! IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH HOW MY GUILD WORKS THEN YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!" Natsu roared. He was breathing fire and flailing his limbs all about.

Erza was stunned, shocked, mortified, stunned again, angry, and speechless, followed by more stunningness. Nic looked over at Natsu's partner-in-crime and sighed. _'How Natsu got you into this plan of his, I'll never know.'_ Nic mentally sighed. The Magic Council members themselves were shocked and gawked at this stupid stunt.

"I AM THE ALL POWERFUL ERZA! YOU THINK I'M DESTRUCTIVE, BUT YOU HAVEN'T SEEN NOTHING!" He then rampaged and used fire and destroyed a few things in the room, and Greninja assisted with a couple Water Pulse attacks flying about. The council members looked in deep shock, but Siegrain was rather amused. Nic however was both. He thought it was hilarious for Natsu to dress like Erza, but infinitely stupid of destroying stuff, not to mention that his pokémon was assisting his rampage.

Natsu then pointed at the council members. "DO YOU REALLY THINK THE STUFF DESTROYED IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE GUILDMASTERS LI-!" He was stopped mid yelling as Nic, still cuffed, banged his arms over Natsu's head, stopping his rampage and having him see little stars flutter around him. Nobody even saw that coming. Now the council, and Erza, not to mention Greninja, was shocked.

"Natsu! You pyro barbarian! They were letting us go, but then you _had_ to just go and be Erza! Besides, that isn't close to being as appealing as Erza is! You numbskull!" With that, Nic swung his cuffed hands and knocked Natsu out. Nic was breathing heavily as his impulse got the better of him. He didn't realize until a few moments later that he said Erza was appealing to him out loud, which made him froze in place. Erza heard what he'd said and stood completely frozen. She had to suppress a blush of embarrassment.

Org just angrily sighed. "Just take them away." Org said, tired of all of this nuisance.

"I'm truly sorry for all of this your honor." Erza bowed her head in apology.

Nic then looked over at Greninja, who just stood still. "How did you get dragged into his idea?" He asked.

Greninja just shrugged. "He was relentless, what can I tell ya? No matter how much I tried to stop him, he kept on pushing, so I had to help." Nic sighed, seeing how Greninja had a point when it came to Natsu and being stubborn.

The four spend that night in a prison cell. Thankfully, Nic and Erza didn't have to wear those wrist cuffs on them. Natsu was at the mercy of Erza, as where Greninja was to be reprimanded by Nic.

"Honestly buddy, was Natsu that stubborn?" Nic asked, still baffled.

"Yeah." Greninja said. "Besides…I wanted to look out for my best friend." Nic froze in place. He always knew Greninja and him were close buddies to the end and through death, but had forgotten what it meant to be a real friend. A real friend was someone who trusted you for as long as they'd known you, someone who stuck by your side, someone who would take a beating for you, someone who would aid you in your time of need, someone who would never leave your side.

Nic was touched to the core. He should have never doubted _his_ best friend. His pokémon was his family. Every member was special. Through thick and through thin, they all came to trust Nic and stay by his side and never leave him ever. Nic felt sorry for himself, but looked up at his pal with a smile.

"I'm proud of you buddy." Nic told Greninja.

His friend just shrugged and smiled. "Anything for my trainer and pal." The two then fist bumped and they turned their attention towards Erza and Natsu.

Erza was not pleased.

"Words can't even begin to describe of how angry I am with your stupid stunt. That whole trial was just a fiasco." She growled at the Dragon Slayer.

"Wait, so this was all for show?" he wondered.

"They were just using me and Nic as an example that if you break the law, you get punished." She explained, still angry.

"If you ask me, they did a lousy job doing so." Nic commented.

"Well that's because you resented!" Erza scolded Nic, of whom wasn't frightened.

"I take none from no one!" Nic berated, she just sighed and turned her attention back towards Natsu.

"Anyway, aside from what Nic said was true, they would've found us guilty and send us home with a warning, but thanks to you and that frog we're stuck in a jail cell all night!" Erza barked, which made Natsu flip out on his own actions.

Erza turned away, displeased. "I can't believe you."

Natsu turned away, upset about what he'd just done. "I'm sorry guys." He sighed.

"It's okay. It meant a lot." She said. She then grabbed his head and banged it on her breastplate.

"Ow!" Natsu wined. Nic just looked on and thanked the Dragon Slayer while his head was still hurting.

"You care a lot about our well-being, so I'm not mad." Nic said.

The night pressed on, and Siegrain was in the shadows. He smirked. "A Fairy Tail Wizard huh, Natsu Dragneel." He was very interested as to how things will go for Natsu in the future, but was even more curious as to whom this Nic Pularis really is. "I wonder what powers we'll see from you later on, Nic Pularis."

* * *

><p><strong>A little while after…<strong>

The night pressed on, again. Natsu and Greninja were both out like lights. Erza was gazing up at the ceiling, as to where Nic was listening to his music on his phone. He felt like dozing off, but then realized that he hasn't eaten all day. He then felt his stomach roaring for some nourishment. He couldn't sleep because he needed food.

He looked over at Erza and saw her gazing off. He was curious as to what went on between the two. _'How did she and Siegrain know each other? What do they need to keep shut about?'_ These relentless questions kept bombarding his head. It was driving him nuts.

Erza took notice of Nic looking at her in curiosity, and looked at him. "What is it?"

Nic snapped back into reality and heard Erza. He blinked a few times and shook his head. "It was just a thought." Nic said. She didn't feel like asking him about what he was thinking, all she could really do was just look at him deep in her thoughts. She was spacing out just as much as he was. She learned a lot about Nic today.

This is what Erza thought of him: Nic was a guy that has pure intentions. If feeling good, he'll aid in anyone who needs help. He can be a little silly, but be serious on missions. He can have a super quick temper and will defy _anyone_ no matter who it may be. He cares deeply for his friends and comrades and will go so far as to defend them through force. He can be considered mild and friendly if not feeling so.

Erza was trying to figure Nic out, but what struck her as odd was that Nic didn't even fear her. She went so far as to warn him, yet he stuck his neck out and showed he was the boss. This made Nic's wrath feel like hell compared to Erza's wrath. He's something alright.

Nic then felt something as he reached into his coat pocket. Nic felt it and realized that it was the container that held the strawberry cheesecake he was saving from earlier. He almost felt his brain jump out of his head, telling him to give it to her. He had to resist the urge to do so. He thought this wasn't a good time.

As long as this mental war went on, he wouldn't be able to give Erza the piece of cake. If not now, then he would probably regret it later on. He just gave up and pulled the container out of his pocket. He didn't want to give it by hand. He just slid it to her. He then just turned his back and tried to sleep, though it was hard for him to do. Erza was too zoned out to realize it, which Nic sighed in relief.

Half an hour later, Erza was dozing off and then put her hands on the floor, but when she did, she felt a box. She looked down and was wide eyed at the strawberry cheesecake that was right next to her. She didn't know if this was a miracle or not. She hasn't eaten all day either. She slowly looked up and saw that Nic was looking away and trying to sleep. She knew it all too well. She paused for a moment and broke out in a smile. Eventually, it lead to her blushing, thinking it was rather touching that Nic would get her something like this, even when things were pretty grim.

She took the fork that came with the cake and slowly ate it. Unbeknownst to her, Nic was still awake, and her the fork dig into the cake. Finally, he grinned and at last caught some shut eye.

* * *

><p><strong>The next day…<strong>

Natsu was so glad to be out and bouncing about around the Guild Hall. He was running and breathing fire in joy. "Woooooooh! Fresh air never smelled so good! I'm breathing this stuff all day!" Natsu shouted. His constant running about was getting annoying to the other guild members.

"Keep it down." Jet complained.

"Give it a rest already." Droy complained. These complaints went unquestioned as Natsu kept running about.

"Isn't he just precious when he acts like this?" Mira said, delighted to see Natsu's spirits high and almighty. Lucy was drained and had her head down, she was upset that the trial was just for show.

"I still can't believe that was just for show." Lucy groaned.

"I couldn't believe Greninja jumped right into Natsu's plan. And here I thought they would croak." Gray joked.

"That joke was as cold as your ice." Elfman complained.

At another table, Erza was busy sitting idly and Nic was sitting right next to her. She couldn't look at him in the eyes, mainly because she was just a little shy from the present he slipped her last night. Nic was feeling the same way. He couldn't muster up the nerve to talk to her, mainly because of his demeanor yesterday and the cake he gave her.

After a little bit, Nic was able to get out a few words while looking at the table. "So, about yesterday." Erza turned her head and was curious as to what Nic was gonna say. "I'm sorry. It's just that wanted to save you, just as Natsu wanted to save us both."

Erza smiled. "Don't worry, I know you wanted to protect me." Nic felt reassured hearing how he wasn't gonna be unanswered. Erza then continued. "I dis wonder as to how you managed to get me that cake in the first place."

Nic turned his head and looked at her, admiring her curiosity. "Before the fight, I asked Mira to box it up so that I could give it to you later. I know that you like strawberry cheesecake, so I thought I would be nice to do something for you." This made Erza nearly blush. She couldn't help but see that he cared for her and would do something like this.

"Thanks Nic." Erza said, trying to look away so Nic wouldn't have to see the blush getting even more red. Nic tried to look back at the table, thinking as to what to say now. He then thought of something witty.

"I thought it would also be nice because you and that cake had something in common." He said, trying not to look at her. She looked at him in curiosity as to what he meant.

"Oh, what is it?" Erza asked casually. Nic then tilted his head just a tiny bit towards her and smiled and looked at her.

"Because your both very sweet." He cleverly said. That did the trick. Nic then looked away in embarrassment as he thought he went a little too far, but he actually stopped at a perfect point. Erza looked away as her face was as red as her hair. Fortunately, no one was looking.

A little while went by, and Nic got up to get some water. He had his earbuds in and feeling rather pleasant at the moment. He looked about and turned to see that everyone was looking rather drowsy. One by one, he saw everyone dropping like flies into sleep. The only one he saw that wasn't asleep was Master Makarov, although he was rather drowsy. Nic was fully awake, though probably because his music was blasting his ears and making him have energy to spare. Even so, he couldn't help but wonder. Was it something in the booze? Was it because they all stayed up all night? Was it because they weren't feeling it today?

A masked person with his whole body cloaked then showed up. This cause Nic to believe that he was an enemy. As he approached Master, Nic stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Who are you?!" Nic demanded. The masked man stood in place. His entire body, except the eyes, was covered. He had multiple staves on his back, bandaged arms and hands with gloves. He was shocked to see his Sleep Magic having no affect on Nic, though his face was covered.

"So you can resist my Sleep Magic?" he asked. Nic pulled out his earbuds and tilted his head.

"Eh, sorry. I couldn't hear a word you say." Nic said.

"Do not worry Nic." Informed Makarov. "Mystogan here is a fellow guild member." Nic then looked at Makarov and looked at the sleeping guild members. Mystogan then walked on over towards the request board. He only observed for a few seconds and picked a job off of the board, he then walked up to Makarov and showed him the paper.

"Is there a reason you have them put to sleep?" Nic asked. Mystogan froze and looked at Nic.

"Yes, but I would prefer to have that between me and the Master." He explained.

"But the guild is like a family, it's not like we would care, but if the reason is crucial, then we won't push you." Nic informed the mysterious Mage. After a pause Mystogan turned.

"I'll tell you only this, because you brought up a point. My Sleep Spell is so that no one can see my face." Mystogan informed. Nic was curious to learn more, but had to respect Mystogan's privacy.

"Understood, thank you Mystogan." Said Nic. Mystogan then began to walk out of the guild, slowly counting down to when the Sleep Spell wears off. Once he'd reached zero, he was gone and out of the Guild Hall. Everyone, exclude Natsu, immediately woke up feeling all groggy and tired.

"Ugh, was Mystogan here? He really needs to lighten up on his Sleep Spell." Complained Droy.

"Does he have to do so every time he comes here?" complained Levy, following the rest of the guild getting up.

"Who's Mystogan?" Lucy asked, feeling left out.

"He's a contender for Fairy Tail's strongest wizard." Said Elfman. Gray rubbed his eyes and spoke about after him.

"Yeah, and he doesn't want people to see his face. The only one who really saw his face was Makarov." He said.

"Not entirely." A voice stated from above on the second floor. Everyone looked up and saw a tall muscular man with spiky blond hair. He had spiked headphones and a coat going over him. The coat was black and his shirt was much like a tainted gold with dark spots all about. He had a lightning bolt scar running down his face, which was the most notable feature. "I've seen him before."

"Laxus, didn't expect to see you here." Elfman said surprised.

"You're never around." Commented Wakaba. Nic looked up at the guy. His tone wasn't very inviting and he sounded like he was arrogant of sorts.

"Mystogan's just shy, respect his privacy. Besides that, that guy with the earbuds in his ears got a pretty good look as well." He said. Upon hearing this voice, Natsu instantly arose from his slumber and jumped to his feet.

"Laxus! Come fight me!" Natsu demanded. Nic looked back at his flaming idiot of a friend.

"Please pal, if you can't even land a punch on the chick over there, then you'll never be up to par with me." Gloated Laxus.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Erza said. A death aura surrounded her, which made everyone flip out and run for cover.

"No need to get offended now." Gray tried to ease.

"I'm saying that I'm number one in this guild." Laxus said, acting all high and mighty. This made Natsu want to burn him on the spot.

"Prove it!" Natsu shouted.

"Come up here and prove me wrong little man." Laxus taunted. Almost instantly, Natsu began running up at Laxus. When he was about to jump, Master Makarov's hand grew large and pinned Natsu against the wall, and he did so without looking.

Lucy was shocked to see Natsu pinned.

"You're not allowed on the second floor Natsu, not at this point in time." Insisted Makarov. Laxus then rested his head on the rails and laughed.

"I think you've made him upset." Laxus said. Natsu was trying to break free and failed miserably.

"Shut up!" Natsu growled.

"That's enough Laxus!" Makarov demanded. Laxus got up and smirked.

"Do you guys know what a champion looks like? Well he's right here!" Laxus referred to himself, being an arrogant jerk. All he got was stares from everyone, especially from Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Nic. He then looked down at the young person with sunglasses on his V-neck. "Hey, you'd be wise to keep your mouth shut about Mystogan pal."

"Same implies to you thunder boy" Nic responded.

The guild gasped as Nic called Laxus something unexpected. This immediately gave Laxus the energy to jump down and glare down the easily tempered Mage. The entire guild was dead quiet.

"What did you just call me?" Lxus said in a very threatening tone.

"You heard me." Nic wasn't afraid at all. Obviously he had no-fear genes.

Laxus's hands were now coated in lightning that signified his anger. Nic was ready to transform.

Suddenly, Makarov intervened. "That's enough you two!" Laxus hesitated to listen, but then turned away.

Laxus sneered and took off, but not without saying that Nic just got off easy.

The whole scenario was over and everyone was able to take in oxygen again. They all stopped hiding and returned to whatever they were doing before Mystogan's arrival. Natsu was still a bit mad that Nic could get in a smart comment before he did, but was glad at the same time because he got to see a frustrated Laxus.

Makarov shook his head in disappointment. "Nic, you need to be careful around Laxus." Makarov warned. Nic looked at the ground and turned to leave the guild for a little bit.

"Making friends. Everywhere I go, nothing but friendly friends." Nic muttered rather sarcastically.

* * *

><p><strong>I got this chapter updated Sunday night, so I'm making great timing on my updates.<strong>

**This chapter wasn't exactly what I was going for, but it's okay. I had to get another part of Nic's personality shown, so that's what this chapter's priority was about. **

**Somebody asked if there will be a Mega Evolution. Don't worry, you'll see one very soon, potentially the Phantom Lord Arc. **

**I had to get as much as I could involving this section of the story, because I'm planning something for the next few chapters. For the record: I don't write this stuff, rather I type on the spot if you guys were curious.**

**Don't worry guys, more pokémon will be introduced, but they'll all come individually.**

**Please Favorite, Follow, and **_**especially **_**Review. I would appreciate it if you do so, for it will make me happy, and I will be able to do more updates every week, or week and a half. **

**Thank you for reading another chapter. Again, Reviews!**

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time: A Date without a Heart<strong>


	5. A Date Without a Heart

Chapter 5 – A Date without a Heart

**Hey guys, I'm back! Some insane ideas have been in my mind lately, but you'll see how I'll I apply that to the story.**

**About last chapter; to be fair, I had no clue as how I made Nic so aggressive. I wanted to make him look mild and sweet, yet assertive and able to stand up for what he treasures. As previously stated, I just type this stuff up on the spot, though I should write this stuff first.**

**You guys remember when I said I might leave Nic out of certain arcs that I don't like? Well, you'll see. **

**To Recap:**

Everyone returns to the guild, where they learn the hard way that you never touch Nic's phone or earbuds. Nic finally battles Natsu and eventually wins. Afterwards, Nic and Erza are arrested and taken to the Magic Council for charges. With Siegrain threatening Erza, Nic snaps and shows a more monstrous side of himself that's even scarier than Erza. Nic lied to the council and his secret wasn't discovered, but he and the council did not like each other one bit. Afterwards, Natsu, dressed as Erza, and Greninja barge in and destroy stuff, making them all spend one night in a prison cell. The next day, Mystogan shows up and Nic is unaffected by his Sleep Spell as he takes a job and leaves immediately after. Everyone wakes up and Laxus and Nic glare down at each other in spite of one another's attitude.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5 – A Date without a Heart<strong>

About half an hour rolled by after Nic and Laxus's confrontation with one another. Nic was walking about around Magnolia and was listening to music to entertain himself. He didn't think going back to the guild at this time would be such a good idea, especially with the hysteria that bloomed with the consecutive confrontations involving Mystogan and Laxus.

He strolled about and eventually ran into some sort of café. It was just a small café with a cute little red roof and a sign hanging over the door that said "Sunny Side Up's". It was a few blocks away from the bakery that Erza loved to get her strawberry cheesecakes from. The café had a few tables outside, so he took the liberty to step inside and the doorbell rang.

The lady as the waitress looked at Nic, noticing another customer walking into the café. She looked to be in her early twenties with brown eyes and brown hair in a bud. She turned towards Nic's direction to serve him.

"Hi, welcome to Sunny Side Up's. How may we help you?" She asked. Nic looked about inside and noticed that the place had quite a few people being served. This little café was generally known for its breakfast and lunch specials, so it's not like he was coming in for a special occasion or anything. Nic didn't feel like being inside with people, so he thought he would sit outside.

"I'll sit outside." Nic said. He then went out the door and the waitress followed. Nic took a left outside the café and sat at the closest table that was five feet away from the door. He sat idly and the waitress pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

"What would you like to drink?" She politely asked. Nic wasn't feeling much of anything. The only thing he really drinks ever is water. Nic disliked beverages that weren't water. The only exceptions were lemonade, orange juice, milk (skim), and chocolate milk if possible. Seeing as they serve mainly coffee at this café, he would just have to resort to his usual.

"Just some water will be fine." He ordered. The waitress then went back inside and came out in less than thirty seconds with a glass full of water. Nic was shocked as to how fast she made the order. "Whoa. That was fast." He commented.

"We were trained to react fast to orders, especially since we're super busy around this time of day." She responded. Nic nodded in understanding of how much effort a waitress has to put into serving customers. "Alright, what would you like to order?" she asked.

Nic looked at the menu rather quickly. He just scoped the menu and found an omelet section. Nic didn't mind omelettes, it's one of his favorite breakfast foods. The only problem was that he could only get them whenever he's in a city or town.

Back in the pokémon world, Nic roamed constantly. He was always going through every route and every city every day. It would take Nic at least a few days to get from one town to another. (I'm just stretching the geography here.) Here, he's right in a town that he could have omelets whenever. Though, he did have some omelets whenever out on routes. All he had to do was get the necessary ingredients from the previous town and just make them over a fire. This didn't happen too often though, only about once a week. Ever since he joined Fairy Tail, he could have omelets whenever he wanted, as long as he cooked it for himself. The Guild Hall is literally his home, so the guild's kitchen was basically his kitchen, to which no one argued.

"I think I'll have a Western Omelet with tomato, green peppers, cheese, mushroom, and ham." He ordered. The waitress took a few seconds to write that order down and nodded.

"Okay." She said. She then walked right back into the café to tend to the other customers inside. When she was out of sight, Nic immediately zoned out and listened to music.

Upon his zoning out, he was recalling as to how this was a situation before he ventured into this world. Nic recalled being at a café with his Greninja and then they left for Fiore. It was hard to believe, it only felt like they've been here less than three weeks, probably because they were.

At that thought, he noticed that Erza was walking by and she saw him sitting in a chair outside the café. She had just finished replenishing her supply of strawberry cheesecake. She walked by with a cart of thirty strawberry cheesecakes. She then started to walk over towards Nic.

Nic almost immediately turned his volume off so he could speak to Erza. He sat upright and she was standing right next to him.

"Hey Nic." Erza said.

"S'up Erza." He responded casually. He was trying to keep himself from not talking as much, considering she was there when he confronted Laxus; more importantly, how he mentioned she was very sweet. The thought of saying she was as sweet as her strawberry cheesecakes almost made him look away in embarrassment.

Erza took notice of Nic slowly turning away. She assumed he was trying to avoid her. She didn't blame him though. Even she began thinking back as to how he was bold, not to mention clever, enough to tell her she actually meant something to the Multitype Mage.

She took notice of the empty seat across from Nic and thought it wouldn't hurt to hang around before heading back to Fairy Hills to put her strawberry cheesecakes away. (She must have one big fridge!)

"Mind if I take a seat?" Erz asked. This made Nic's head almost spring upwards. He didn't necessarily see this coming, though he didn't want to avoid it either.

"Sure. Be the guest of honor." Nic said. Being called 'the guest of honor' almost made her lightly blush, so she quickly sat down right across from him.

After a brief moment of quiet, Nic thought it would be nice to get to know her more, so he started to look at her in the eyes and began thinking of some things to say.

"So…" Nic was squirming a little bit in his chair, just to think of something casual. "Wonderful weather we're having." It wasn't the best thing that came to Nic's mind, but it was the first. Though it was rather obvious, he wasn't wrong. The weather has been great since he'd been in Fairy Tail. It probably rained maybe once or twice.

Erza looked up at the sky, seeing as there are very few clouds. She then looked back down at Nic and grinned. "I suppose you're right." She replied.

After that, Nic's food came out from the café. The waitress had it served on a plate and had set it in front of him. "There you go. Is there anything else I can get you?" she said.

Nic shook his head. "Nope. Thank you." He politely said. She then turned and went back inside to serve the other customers and left Erza and Nic alone once more. Nic couldn't help himself, he hasn't had an omelet in awhile and he was aching to cram some into his mouth. With one stab of his fork, a huge chunk of the omelet was lifted up and Nic almost began drooling at the glorious sight. "Here's to an _egg_xcellent rest of the day." Nic said, trying to fight off the drool that was trying to escape his mouth. With one quick motion, the piece was send hurdling into his mouth. He just shoved that huge piece into his mouth and savored every bite of it.

Erza couldn't help but stare at him. For one thing, he shoved a huge piece of omelet into his face right in front of her. Secondly, she couldn't help but see the content look on his face. He looked as though he was taking a bite out of heaven. Erza felt a few things going through her mind. For one thing, she was shocked that NIc had as much manners as did Natsu. Second of all, she thought as to how Nic almost forgot she was there, as he was eating something that caught his attention. This made her almost feel jealous. Thirdly, she wondered what heaven tasted like as well.

She let out a slight cough, which got Nic's attention once more. The moment he looked up at her, he was wide eyed and had forgotten that she was even there. He was frozen in place, not to mention he had a little bit of the egg dangling from his mouth. He quickly opened his mouth and gulped it down, still had his shocked gaze on the beautiful Mage that was in front of him. Once he swallowed, he looked around left and right to see if anyone was watching, which thankfully no one was.

"Uh…" Nic had to improvise, so all he did was smile idiotically and looked as though he was happy. "So…yeah."

Erza just sighed and smiled, thinking as to how silly his reaction was. She then looked back at Nic and tried to think of a few things as well.

"It looks as though you were in quite a heavy moment with that omelet of yours." She noted.

"Seems like it." Nic responded.

"Seems as though the omelet is more popular to you than I am." Erza said. This made Nic feel somewhat guilty. He had forgotten she was there and he was too busy eating food to notice her. Looking down in shame, he thought as to fix this and slid the plate to the middle.

"Try some." Nic insisted. He cleaned off the fork with a napkin and handed it to Erza. With little reluctance, she grasped the fork and dug into the omelet. She got out a small piece and then brought it into her mouth. After chewing it up and tasting it, she couldn't help but raise a brow.

'_Hmm, I can see why Nic loves this stuff.'_ She thought. Truth be told, Nic can tolerate others having a bite of his favorite breakfast/brunch special, but can never tolerate people touching his phone. At this point, he was satisfied to see Erza enjoy his food. After swallowing, she cleaned the fork and handed it back to him.

"Not bad, do you have this stuff on a daily basis?" she asked.

Nic just shrugged. "Not really. I mean, I travel all the time back when I was in my world, so it's not like I had the necessities for this brilliant work of art between us. I could get the ingredients in a town, but I would only have one omelet a week. Ever since I came here, I had much more to eat, though I don't have it too often so as I don't get sick of them. I would probably have it maybe twice, maybe three times a week, depending if I'm in the guild in the morning." Nic wasn't feeling at all nervous about telling his omelet life, but along that topic, he noted the strawberry cheesecakes in her cart.

"I guess I could ask you the same thing with your cheesecakes." He said, referring to her food. She looked over and turned back towards him.

"I guess, but it's a long story." Erza said. Nic didn't feel like asking her anymore questions, mainly because he wanted to eat some more. Every other bite, he would have Erza eat a little piece. Eventually, the omelet was finished and the waitress came out with the bill. It wasn't big at all, so Nic paid on the spot. He also had to leave a tip for her serving him. With that said and done, he took the cash and nodded.

"Thank you, come again you two." She then walked back in, finished serving him.

Erza couldn't help but feel as though her face was exploding with red. She was feeling rather fuzzy inside, like some butterflies were fluttering in her stomach, though that could be the omelet she ate.

'_D-does she mean 'you two'…as in…me and Nic…together…o-on a date?" _These thoughts were making her steam as well. This felt so embarrassing to her.

The thought flew right over Nic's head and he proceeded to get up. He noticed as to how red and steaming Erza was. He leaned in very slightly and wondered as to what she was thinking.

"You who." He whistled. Erza was brought back to reality and turned towards Nic. "You okay? You look as though you were gonna burst in flames." Nic joked. Erza then looked down and turned back to her steaming red, heavily embarrassed.

Nic grinned as to how cute she looked when she was like this. It wasn't every day you see a shy Erza. Nic has known Erza for only a short while, and she was always so stoic and dead serious. He hasn't seen this side of her before.

Pushing that aside, Nic thought as to be the gentleman from day one and he looked over at the cart of strawberry cheesecakes. He then began walking over and Erza looked up at him, now in a light pink rather than a deep red. She was curious as to what Nic was doing. Nic grabbed the handle and looked back at Erza with a smile.

"I do believe that I should be a gentleman and help you with your "groceries"." He said. Upon this realization, Erza shook the embarrassment off and got up. Erza had no objections, so she allowed him to drag her cart all the way to her place.

The way there wasn't too bad. The load sure felt much lighter compared to last time. Since this was only "groceries", it didn't feel like he was yanking away at five hundred pounds of "luggage" or something.

Fairy Hills was a female dormitory, which was where most female members of Fairy Tail lived. It was atop a grassy hill that wasn't too far from Fairy Tail.

The exterior design wasn't too bad. It was large and mildly imposing. It was made of what looked like bricks. It consisted of a central, elongated section at which the sides sat two wings protruding outwards, much like a sideways capital I. One of the center's right acted as the main entrance, which looks like a double door with a pyramid shape part topped by a similar pyramid-shaped roof, which was held by wooden beams. Lighter bricks lined up vertically to enforce the edging of the standard bricks, with light beams that went horizontally. The front had a porch in front of the central part, with a steep tiled roofing split by beams held by wooden pillars. All of the windows had arches in them. The entrance had a sign that was held by two pillars that was stone and brick. It had Fairy Tail's symbol and there was a large arch saying "Fairy Hills" in dark letters.

Nic took a good look and gave an impressed nod. "Not too shabby." He commented. He only walked up to the overhead sign, where Erza stopped in front of him. She turned back towards him and sighed.

"I'm sorry Nic, but Fairy Hills is a female only dormitory, meaning you're not allowed in to help." Erza explained. Nic just shrugged it off and turned.

"Don't worry, I trust you can take it from here." Nic said. Erza nodded and was handed the cart. Nic then stretched and began to turn.

"Ooooookayyyyy." He sighed stretching his back. "Now that that's done, I think I'm gonna…" As he was leaving, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Upon instinct, he jumped and turned in a super quick motion. He exhaled in relief that it was only Erza, still. "Geez, you almost gave me a heart attack." Nic complained.

"Don't fool around with that nonsense. If you had a heart attack, you'd be lying on the ground by now." Erza reprimanded.

"Well, at least you know I'm not heartless." Nic joked with a pun. It took a few seconds for the joke to sink in, and Erza smiled and giggled just a little bit. Nic then recalled as to Erza touching his shoulder. "Hey, did you need something?" Nic asked. There was a brief silence and Erza was looking down, trying to think of what to say. As time progressed on, Nic could see the light blushing forming on her face, yet again.

Eventually, after five minutes of awkward silence, she looked up at him and took in a deep breath.

"I was wondering." She asked.

"Yeah?" Nic was a little curious as to what she wanted from him. He'd never seen Erza so shy before.

"C-can you wait here?" She somewhat stuttered on the beginning, but got through with her question. With no protest, Nic stood there by the sign as Erza went inside to put away her cheesecakes.

* * *

><p><strong>Later…<strong>

Nic was practically dozing off in front of the sign due to Erza taking so long. He did wait for her, but she never told him how long to wait. A hundred years? Nightfall? Never? Was he suppose to just doze off until the end of time or what? It's felt like an hour when it's really been an hour.

When Nic woke up, he heard someone telling him to get up. He, once again, sprung up and took fighting stance.

"Mommy! It wasn't me! It was…" Nic then noticed Erza was in front of him. She looked different. She had on a white blouse and her blue skirt. She turned a little here and there with arms folded, it looked as though she was shivering, but how could she when it felt just fine for any type of clothing.

"Oh. Erza, hey. What happened to your Heart Kreuz Armor?" Nic wondered.

"Well, I wanted to put that away and ask if you wanted to stroll with me?" She asked not as serious, but not as secured. This was off to Nic. Erza never felt so insecure. He couldn't help himself but wonder as to why she didn't wear her Heart Kreuz Armor. This side of Erza was nice and all, but she looked a little uncertain.

Regardless, Nic had to say something in defense. "Look Erza, it's okay if you wear your Heart Kreuz Armor. It's not that you don't look ravishing, believe me when I tell you that you do look quite nice, but you don't seem too sure of yourself." Nic explained in concern.

Erza looked down and uncrossed her arms. She then sighed and look rather unhappy. "I haven't worn this in awhile, also…I wanted to wear this just in case if nothing goes on and I feel safe."

"You don't look safe to me. Just requip into your armor. I'll go with you anyway." Nic insisted. She then looked up in shock that he said yes.

"You mean it?" She wondered.

Nic just shrugged. "Of course. If you feel insecure, just change back into your armor. I have no objections." Erza hesitated and chose not to.

"I think I feel safe for now." Erza said, insisting they go through without her Heart Kreuz Armor. The two then began walking into town, Erza was right by Nic's side.

Along the way, Nic looked at her. "Hm, not a bad look for a first date." He teased. She looked over at him and glared.

"It's not a date! We're not even dating!" She protested.

"Keep telling yourself that." Nic said sarcastically, which got him a punch in the face. That's Erza for ya.

At any rate, things went pretty well. They walked around town was pretty pleasant. Erza and Nic did nothing but nonstop talking. Erza told Nic as to why she doesn't wear her blouse that often. It was because she had a painful childhood and wore armor just to be secure, but she went no deeper than that. Nic didn't push her though, he did the same thing to everyone when he first came to Fairy Tail. She told him about how in her childhood, she lost and eye and got an artificial one. This was too horrific for Nic. He knew that people could be scarred for life, but at such a young age, this made Nic almost pale. Before she could speak anymore stuff, Nic held up a hand.

"I think you've said enough. I get it you had a painful childhood, so what? What matters is now. Erza, you've become a warrior that can fight off numerous people and come out without a scratch, you care deeply for your comrades, and you're very capable. If you still doubt yourself, we got your backs." Nic said. Erza nodded, knowing what Nic said was true.

Now it was Nic's turn. As Nic told his story, Erza was just as shocked as he was at her story. He explained that his parents ignored him and focused all of their attention on his little sister. Whenever his sister did something wrong, innocent or not, Nic would be held responsible and would be given punishment. He had so much trouble on his hands, that he had a few tiny, barely noticeable, scars on his back from punishments. Nic finally had enough and he decided to yell back at them one day, which concluded with him getting beaten up. The day after, he left home and never looked back, never regretting leaving fifteen years of hell. His parents even called the police to bring him home, but Nic told his side of the story to the police and his parents threatened their own son with potential death involved, which sentenced them to life in prison. His little sister was then taken care of the neighbors, which were far more sweet than her parents. In summary, he was a slave of punishment, much like Erza.

Erza put her hands to her mouth, seeing as their pasts were somewhat similar. They were both horrified as to what the other went through. That's when they realized their personalities are what they are now. Erza felt more secure now that she had someone to relate to, as did Nic.

With their pasts revealed, they were more optimistic for a better future. They then ventured towards the South Gate Park. It was a cute little park that had a large tree in the middle. It had a playground that looked like a castle and quite a few people were there.

They both sat on a bench, where they'd decided to shut up and take in some peace and quiet. Both laid their heads back and Nic put on his sunglasses so that the sun doesn't shine into his eyes. They were both completely still and just had themselves plopped on the bench.

About half an hour rolled by and Nic turned his gaze towards Erza. He noticed her scarlet hair reflecting the light, and how she looked so peaceful. Nic smirked, happy to see this side of Erza. He's aware that he has to keep this to himself, otherwise Erza will destroy him, repair him, and destroy again, followed by more destruction.

Eventually, the two arose from the bench and stretched. They then decided to venture back to Fairy Hills, where Nic would drop off Erza.

On the way back, Nic was in thought about something. Not about how his little "date" went, but a different topic. This has just hit him just now. He hasn't found a single plate yet. As of now, he only has the Flame, Sky, Splash, Zap, and Toxic Plate. Though he's been here for roughly three weeks, he hasn't made progress.

He kept this thought undercover as he smiled and walked with Erza. When they reached the place, Nic stopped at the overhead gate and sighed.

"Well, that was an interesting first date." Nic said. Erza only shot a glare at him.

"It's not a date!" She gritted her teeth.

"But you enjoyed it anyway!" Nic exclaimed happily. Erza only blushed and turned so that Nic didn't see her face turn red. As she turned to go back inside, Nic whistled to her, signaling her to turn around. She turned and Nic smiled at her.

"Hey, guess I'll see you later then." Nic said. Erza grinned and went inside. "That was a fun date!" Nic hollered out.

"It was not a date!" Erza yelled from inside. Nic giggled, having finished with teasing her. He then turned and walked off back to Fairy Tail.

He had to get in some jobs. He had two reasons in doing so; first: He needed money because he was fresh out from going to the café, and two: He needed to find Plates, so he had to explore. Now that the guild has settled down, Nic thought it would be best for him to go about and take a job and get out.

It's around five in the evening, so it was close to dinner. At that point, everyone would be probably getting into fights. Nic could use that to his advantage and sneak in, show Mira or Makarov the job and skedaddle out of there.

He slowly opened the door, and quietly went inside. There was a lot of laughing, and cheering, and a few guys talking each other down. Nobody took that big of a notice of Nic. He made haste to the Job Request Board and quickly scanned it.

He found a job. It had a good pay on it. Six hundred thousand jewels to stop a group of maniacs from tormenting a town. He thought that this should be fun. Nic took the job request and brought it over towards Mira. She helped him pack some supplies, mainly a rucksack of food and water.

"I'm rather surprised." Mira said. "This job has a decent reward, but the job itself looks atrocious. Are you sure you're up for it?"

Nic just shrugged. "I won't know until I try now will I?" He said. Mira just nodded.

"Okay, at least it's not S-Class." Mira said in relief, thinking of such a job.

Nic stood in wonder. He did recall Erza being S-Class, and it meant she was powerful to the greatest degree, but never thought of what being an S-Class Wizard is about.

"If I had to guess, S-Class missions are dangerous to the power of insanity, yes?" Nic asked in a mathematical way.

Mira nodded. "Yes. You know the jobs down here are for all Mages, well the ones on the second floor are reserved only for S-Class Wizards. There are only three: Erza, Laxus, and Mystogan. Only those jobs are for them since they're S-Class. That's also why Natsu wasn't allowed on the second floor, because he isn't S-Class."

Nic understood and left the guild, he was as quiet as a mouse.

Fortunately for him, he left just before Happy sneaked towards the second floor and stole an S-Class job.

* * *

><p><strong>The next day…<strong>

Nic slept that night out of sight, not too far from the road to Freesia. He woke up from a decent sleep from underneath a tree. It wasn't the best place to sleep, but it suited him for the night. He sprung up and immediately began running towards Freesia. He didn't bother to have breakfast because he thought the townsfolk really needed help. Whatever it was they needed.

A half hour past ten, and Nic could see a town up ahead. He still had a ways to go, but he was getting closer and closer within every minute of his constant dashing. Nic mentally face palmed himself, thinking he could've gotten there overnight; regardless, his speed was super fast. Since he's been traveling all over Kalos, his leg muscles heavily increased, making him a strong and fast runner without even getting tired.

"Taking trains? Who needs them?" Nic rhetorically asked himself. "Not this guy." If he were to take a train, he would probably be at the spot where he is right now, yeah, he's that fast! On another sort of transportation, Nic also learned to climb trees to avoid the swamp while he's normally on route to Laverre City. This enabled him to tree hop, much like ninjas, so he proceeded to do so to save time, which is how he managed to get this far that fast.

As Nic strolled through town, he took in many of its features. Many beautiful buildings had flowers about, all scattered. Most of the window were arched and tiled. A lot of the buildings were white with brown roofing, which didn't bother Nic.

He tried to find whoever was in charge of this town, which would probably be the mayor or something. As he tried to find this guy, he noticed that not many people were out on the streets. He heard that Freesia was a lively town that likes to party. It would be more accurate to say they were preparing a funeral rather than a party.

Everyone was looking rather gloomy and melancholy. People were not even close to being motivated; in fact, they looked as though they were just about ready to keel over. They were all hanging up banners that were saying "Freesia Petal Festival", of which meant a big festival that was going to show off any and all flowers. Then again, this town was known for its export of beautiful flowers.

A mother was walking uneasily with her son and younger daughter. Both looked oblivious as their mother was slowly beginning to crumble away and hug them, shedding tears. Nic didn't like this situation at all. He needed to help in any way he can. He could care less about the Plates right now, the depressed citizens were his number one priority.

Nic found a large building and stepped inside. There, the secretary was reluctant to let Nic see the mayor, but allowed him access when he explained the job request. At that instant, Nic waltzed into the mayor's office. It was pretty classy for an office. On the left wall was a book shelf with a plethora of books. Right next to it was what looked like a picture of a father, a mother, a son, and a daughter. The father looked to be around his mid-thirties as well was his wife. The father had black hair and a goatee. The wife had long blond hair that curled at the ends. The kids looked to be about between five and nine. He then saw the plant growing right next to the picture. It looked rather wilted and could wither away the second you'd touched it. On the right wall was a long red couch and another wilting plant. Of course, there was his desk and his chair was facing the window that was behind him,

Nic walked up to the desk and the chair turned. It was the same man that was in the photograph. He looked heavily fatigued. He looked as though he hasn't been sleeping well, let alone sleep at all.

"May I help you?" He asked rather ill. Nic then showed him the job request that was posted.

"I'm Nic Pularis from Fairy Tail, and I'm here in regards of your job request." He said. They both shook hands, but something felt wrong.

"Ah yes, you must be an S-Class Wizard. I'm Hiro, and I'm the mayor of this village. I trust that your guild has been notified of the changes in regards of the request, yes?"

"Eh, what changes are we talking about here?" Nic asked.

"Due to circumstances, I had to change the rank to S-Class, also adding a huge sum to the reward." Hiro said.

That's what felt off. Mira did note that the job did seem rather dangerous to be on the normal request board. The job specifically stated to take down a group of maniacs, though that might not be in depth.

Nic frowned. "Eh, nope. Not a word on the changes."

Hiro's face fell. He slumped back as though he has suffered a defeat of sorts. This situation was looking more grim than it was ten seconds ago. "This is upsetting. What am I going to do now?"

Nic had to do something to cheer him up. He looked so tired and frail, so he had to act upon instinct, again. "Who cares, I'll get this job done!" Nic proclaimed, making the mayor look up in awe of this guy's will to fight, despite the changes.

"Well, okay. This is critical, and if no one helps, everyone here will die." The mayor said. He stared at Nic, seeing how he'll respond. All Nic did was nod.

The situation went much like this:

First, Hiro sent a letter in regards of changing the job to S-Class about five months ago. Hiro explained that about six months ago, the people were growing desperately. Nic paid extremely close attention to the events, so this was where he got his serious mode turned on.

One evening, an army of tangible shadows emerged from the forest and attacked the town. The townsfolk were caught off guard by this sudden assault from the forest. The townsfolk had to fight back, but the only flaw was that they only had so many Mages, as many as maybe ten. Eventually, the army was driven back to the forest, but not without some points to their end. To be more accurate, the tangible shadows simply touched someone and they were in a state of hyper sleep.

Immediately afterwards, Hiro ordered strict sentry and around the clock watches for precautionary reasons. It was just in time because the tangible shadows came back the night after. More and more people were put into this state of sleep, even the Mages were no match for the sheer numbers. Hiro thought that this shadow army was being manipulated and Nic could find the source and destroy it. This was the original request Nic was tasked to do, but that was six months ago.

The townsfolk that were put in this state of sleep were experiencing dreadful nightmares, an infinite hell. They had sweat drop and screamed in their sleep from time to time. They never woke up. They were stuck in that state until the source was destroyed. They all had to rely on help to arrive.

One night, three cloaked wizards arrived in town. It was obvious that one of them controlled the shadow army. It was also clear that their Magic was hazardous and had no chance of being surmounted. The townsfolk were forced to surrender due to their overwhelming use of Magic. Since the three wizards were cloaked and hooded, their identities remained a mystery to this day. Their goals were also unknown.

The three wizards spared, but there had to be a price. Everyone that was in a state of sleep, which was now ninety percent of the town, was awoken by one of the mages and the sleep rejoiced, but that was just the beginning of something horrible. Every night, the three demanded a tribute from the ones that were asleep. The tangible shadow army would come to town and escort them back to their masters back into the woods. At first, people volunteered to be sacrifices. So much as ten went at once the first week, but then the volunteers dropped to one. The numbers began to dwindle down bit by bit. The town had a size of one thousand, but now there was only half as many left. If this continues, the town will be left a barren wasteland.

When Nic heard this, his serious mode shifted to anger mode. He slammed his fist down on the desk and began gritting his teeth. He proclaimed that he will help these people even without a reward. At this point, he screwed the money and wanted to save the lives that people cherish in this town. He then proclaimed that he's gonna make those three wizards pay for the suffering and heartbreak that the townsfolk had to go through. He walked out, ready to break some bones.

After the layout of the situation, Nic was arranged to sleep in their house that night, but Nic said he's use to sleeping in hammocks and in trees, so he didn't think sleeping in a house was his niche. Regardless, Nic and Hiro walked towards Hiro's house.

Now Nic knew why the townsfolk hesitate to even look at Nic. They clearly mistrusted visitors and outsiders due to this catastrophe. It makes Nic upset seeing a once lively town turn into such a desolate desperation. They needed help, and Nic intended to do so.

They came about at the large town square in the middle of town. The town square had smashed flowers that wilted and died, much like the townsfolks' trust and hearts.

"This is where the town gathers for the tribute and the shadows come and claim them." Hiro informed. "This happens at midnight every night."

Nic nodded. "Do the wizards make an appearance?"

Hiro shook his head. "No. Only their shadow army comes and claims the victim. They then escort him or her into the woods. It's reason to believe that the controller will have to be in such a range, so he or she must be watching from a distance to see things work accordingly."

"I see." Nic was formulating a quick strategy in order to deal with the matter. His plan was near completion when he'd finally made it into Hiro's house.

The house's exterior was reasonable enough for a mayor to live in. It was two stories tall and had a cozy porch with a bunch of depicted flowers. The railing was smooth and black for someone to hang onto. Hiro opened the door and walked right in with Nic following in pursuit.

"I'm home!" Hiro hollered out. Nic stepped inside and heard light footsteps approaching from upstairs. A young girl came down. She had the same hair as his father's but the eyes were more brown than blue. He was roughly five, maybe seven. He came down and rushed towards his dad with a big hug.

"Hi Daddy!" the boy exclaimed in excitement.

"Just then, some barking could be heard from within the living room. Out of the living room came bursting a little brown spotted dog with a tag that said "DALE". It came up at the young girl and sat obediently in front of her. The young girl crouched down and hugged her little puppy. Nic couldn't help but smile at the sight. It was too precious, let alone innocent.

Another set of footsteps could be heard from upstairs, it was the nine year old that was in the portrait. He had brown hair, bur brown eyes as well. He came down and greeted his dad as well.

"Hey Dad." The young boy said. "Man, you're home rather early today." He pulled away and took notice of Nic's precense.

"Dad, we have a visitor?" The boy asked. Hiro looked back and realized he didn't introduce Nic yet.

"Ah, yes. Jane, Edmund, I'd like to introduce to you Nic Pularis. He's going to help us in our time of need." Hiro said.

Nic waved at the kids, only to get glares shot at him. _'Hm, nice kids.'_ He sarcastically thought. The kids' faces changed from having sugar-crazed looks to desolate dark moods.

"We want dinner." The spoiled kids said, particularly to no one. They gave Nic another cold stare before they ventured off into the kitchen with Dale walking and hanging his tongue out.

Nic looked at Hiro with a blank face, obviously not impressed with his kids' attitudes. Hiro looked down and sighed.

"You'll have to forgive my children." Hiro said after a moment of silence. "Normally, they would be jumping for joy and be happy rather than spoiled and demanding. They aren't fond of Mages or anyone who could use Magic."

Nic frowned at this. "What happened?"

"It's because of their mother. My wife." Nic then paled, thinking of what he thought Hiro was about to say. Hiro then looked up at the ceiling and began speaking.

"Things weren't easy for us. The onslaught of attacks and people pulled into nightmares kept increasing, and the agreement with the three wizards only made matters far more unbearable. Every single midnight, a victim would be claimed. I've even sent scouts into the woods to follow, but not a single one has returned."

He took a deep breath before continuing. Nic could see he was beginning to show some tears. "One night, my wife was a victim of these attacks and fell into a potential nightmare. When she was brought back to reality, my kids and I were so overwhelmed with joy that our sorrow was pushed aside. That is, until three months ago. We gathered for the picking. The army of tangible shadows came. We stopped with the volunteering and they had decided to pluck us out by that point. "

Hiro paused and he was definitely showing some tears forming. "That was the night. The last night. Out of the blue, a shadow pointed out and everyone turned towards that person."

He choked and began to shed a tear. "I was useless…my…my wife…oh god I miss her."

Nic patted him on the back as he began to break down and cry, trying to comfort the grieving man. No more was to be said. Nic saw the children peep over from the kitchen and look at their depressed father. Nic understands why they dislikes Mages now, and he didn't blame them. Even he would be disgusted by the sight of Mages if that happened to him.

After some time went by, Nic got Hiro back to his feet and took a deep breath.

"Dinner will be in an hour." He said, walking over towards his beloved kids and the cute dog that was sniffing the floor.

Nic went into the living room and sat straight up on a nearby couch. He was left to attend to his own thoughts. Nic thought of this to be the situation for every family in Freesia. He tried depicting the shattered hearts, the loneliness, the empty void. All of that was steadily increasing every single night. Nic thought about the little girl with her puppy and the young boy with only those two to care for while Hiro was in his office. This was when Nic thought of the three wizards that began this whole sorrow.

'_These wizards, who are they? What do they want?' _Nic was halted with the earthquake that camr from his bottomless pit known as his stomach. Once again, he went the whole day without a single bite. Nic had to set aside these uneasy feelings for now and try to get some brain food into him pronto.

Nic, not wanting to make the kids feel sick, chose to eat in the living room. After his belly was filled with nourishment, he remained in the living room, trying to formulate a strategy. As the sun was slowly turning the sky orange as it set, Nic was just about finished with his thinking. He had his idea.

Before he could proceed, the dog was being rather noisy upstairs and Nic went to check it out. He climbed up the stairs and found that the boy's room was empty. The dog was whimpering in front of his closet as it tried clawing the closet door, obviously trying to get into something. Nic then slowly approached, getting Dale's attention. The little dog then stopped whimpering and slowly walked towards Nic and stopped in front of him. He looked down and saw that it was somewhat melancholy. Nic then slowly proceeded towards the closet and stopped in front of it. He very slowly turned the knob and saw Edmund huddled into a corner. He looked as though he saw a monster. He was shuddering and almost breaking down in tears.

Nic didn't think was good, so he opened the door wide and Dale came prancing up towards Edmund and it sniffed him. The wet nose felt ticklish, which made him squirm. Soon enough, he looked up and saw the family dog licking his face. Nic then kneeled down and tried speaking to him.

"Edmund?" Nic quietly said. "It's okay. Nothing bad is going to happen to you."

Edmund looked up. "Y-you sure?"

Nic had to be positive. If he said "if tonight goes well", then that'll only put the kid in doubts. In situations such as these, Nic gently smiled.

"No doubt. After tonight, no more people will be claimed as a victim." Nic put a lot of confidence in his words, which made Edmund feel more hopeful.

"So, you're really gonna help us?" Edmund wanted a positive answer. Nic turned towards the dog and petted its head.

"I'll say this. I will not rest until this nightmare is over. What you were doing was understandable, but there are other ways of confronting fear." Nic informed.

"Like what?" Edmund asked.

"Well, you did it. You showed your fear, and saying you're afraid is okay as well." Nic said. "That's good because if you know your fear, you can overcome it and become a better person."

"Really?" Edmund asked rather shockingly.

Nic grinned and turned to walk out of the closet. "Yup, and don't ever forget it for as long as you live. You might want to pass this along towards your little sister. She really needs her big brother at this time."

Edmund then got up and walked out and made haste with Dale walking right beside him. He left his room with a determined grin and went to comfort his little sister, who was probably in her own closet, afraid.

Seeing a brother go aid a younger sibling had Nic feel touchy, yet depressed. Touching because it was family, but depressed because he hasn't seen his twelve year old sister in a long time. Nic had to be strong, no matter how painful and touching it was. It did, however, give him even more motivation to not even think of giving up on these people.

* * *

><p><strong>Before midnight…<strong>

The townsfolk slowly began to emerge into the town square, with somber looks with a hint of fear added in for a recipe of despair. The remaining families were hanging on to one another like there was no tomorrow, because another wasn't going to live to see tomorrow. The silence was like dread to the heart. A rock falling to the ground could probably make them all jump. It was so quiet, you could hear other people's breaths getting wavy, and their heartbeats were escalating to a maximum.

It was time for Nic to get to work.

Nic slowly turned towards an alley and followed it. He traveled the alley and trailed it back to where the town limits were. Beyond there, there was nothing but forest and pine. There was also a huge amount of bushes and shrubs so that you couldn't see the forest floor, as well as the little animals that were shivering in fear from what they anticipated to be another unholy night.

When Nic got towards the limits, just at the edge of the alley, he stopped just before the 400 meter field of grass. Silently, he smirked. _'This is where we get to work.'_ He thought. He brought out a poke ball and tossed it up. "Get out here, Kecleon." Nic said, calling forth his Color Swap Pokémon.

Kecleon emerged from its poke ball, right in front of Nic. Kecleon has been with Nic ever since it was caught back in Route 6. Nic had a sharp eye, for if he didn't, then maybe he wouldn't have captured Kecleon.

Greninja was much like Nic, Charizard was willing to go that extra mile, and well…let's just say Kecleon was, in a light term, "odd".

"Hello Nic." She said in a monotone, turning her head a little as she said it. She almost sounded a little creepy, but that's what makes Kecleon special to Nic, much like the others. Nic crouched down and spoke to his old friend.

"Hey Kecleon. This is extremely vital." Nic explained, which got Kecleon listening. "Now you see that tree line?" Nic pointed out towards the trees that were over the desolate field. "I need you to hide in there. I'm going to be escorted into the forest. From there, I need you to track and follow me. Make sure you keep your distance, we can't have the enemy see you. I'll most likely be in trouble. If that happens, you jump in and stop the enemy and then we rush them and finish them off, once and for all." Nic explained rather thoroughly. Kecleon was able to understand, though it looked in multiple directions while listening. It turned back towards Nic and nodded.

"You got it Nic." Addressed the Color Swap Pokémon.

"Also, if we get to a clearing or cave out in the forest, do not leave the forest unless you see me in a dilemma." Nic added.

With all of that said and done, Kecleon turned invisible, leaving only the red zigzag stripe visible. Since Nic trained Kecleon to be as stealthy as Greninja, he knew that she could remain quiet and undetected. All Nic saw was a dashing red stripe making a break for the forest. It wasn't as fast as Greninja, but it certainly was way above average speed for a Kecleon.

With Kecleon out of sight and in the woods, Nic silently ran back towards the crowd that was gathering for the next victim.

Nic returned undetected and unnoticed. He slowly slithered through the crowd and make way towards Hiro and his kids' side. Nic was sure that if this plan worked, everyone will be rid of this nightmare; if not, Nic didn't want to think about that outcome.

They all heard some rustling, as one tangible shadow monster emerged from the forest. The crowd tensed up and tried to hold back any yelps that might emerge from their mouths. They all saw the first shadow being followed by another shadow, and then several more, until there were about five hundred dragging themselves towards the town. They were moving sluggish and didn't make a sound. In a few minutes, they were in town and facing the citizens.

The shadow just stood there, awaiting for the next victim. Nic took a good look at these guys. For one thing, they had black cloaks, their hands looked like bare bone, and their faces were pitch black with red eyes. This left a stale feeling going down Nic's spine.

The people were scared to death, and not all exaggerating. They couldn't move, because they feared that they would start panicking and then the nightmares will come back. Nobody wanted to lose another family member, so the odds of anyone volunteering were slim. None wanted to go into the forest, because they know they'll never return. They all had just prayed for this curse to be lifted.

A hand shot up from within the crowd. "I'll go!"

Everyone turned almost immediately to see this stranger raise his hand. They all looked to see him with his trademark sunglasses on his V-neck, and his long, black, sleeveless coat with blue flames. They all watched as he marched straight towards the shadows. They cleared the way so that he may confront these shadows and be a victim. The citizens didn't understand something. Unlike the previous victims, he didn't sound scared, but confident. And what was even weirder was that he wasn't showing any reluctance. What was even more strange than that was that he was smirking.

Nic stood in front of the army, arms crossed. "What are we waiting for, Christmas? Let's get this over with." Nic stated boldly. He then walked towards the army and the army surrounded him. They made him the center and kept their distance, knowing touching him would resort to him being put to slepp and a shadow would be given the burden to carry him.

* * *

><p><strong>A little while after…<strong>

So far, everything was according to plan. Kecleon was invisible as it dashed through the trees, not wanting to cause sound through the grass and bushes below. Nic obviously trained Kecleon to see skilled with jumping as well as stealth. If you think about it, it's also the silent killer of Nic's team, hardly losing any battles due to its training with such skill matching Greninja.

Anyways, Kecleon followed as Nic was escorted through the forest. The army took the bait as Nic was taking a risk as being the bait. Kecleon was invisible, except the red stripe, but since it was the dead of night, it wasn't even noticed, so it could stay close by.

Nic walked along the horde of tangible shadows as they continued to slowly walk towards their destination. From this short distance, Kecleon saw that Nic was even being touched. No chains nor cuffs, leaving him to be of free movement. Either the enemy was arrogant, or really stupid.

Kecleon dashed to another tree and waited for only a few moments before pressing on towards another branch. The horde's pace was never ending, but it was constant as it was slow. Nic notice that about ten or twenty shadows vanished into thin air. Nic was wondering as to what was happening. Was the enemy trying to conserve power? He wasn't certain as to what was happening.

It was rather strange to Nic. He felt some odd energy that was close, yet so far. It was somehow making Nic feel strange. He could sense the Plates from within him surge with such energy that was similar to the one he was feeling from such a distance. As kept walking, he felt the energy growing stronger.

After an hour of dragging his own two feet, the walking finally came to a halt. Nic was peculiar as to if they've reached their destination. It wasn't likely, considering that they were still in the forest. He scanned his surroundings, knowing Kecleon was somewhere among the tree branches and proceeding to follow him.

A sudden voice almost made Nic jump. "Well done pets. Yet, another sacrifice for the glory of Zeref." The feminine voice called out. The name Zeref ranged a few bells within Nic. He recalled him being the one to create Lullaby. This didn't feel good at all. If that voice mentioned Zeref, then it's most likely that he's involved with this predicament as well.

A hooded figure stepped out from the shadows of the trees from up ahead. She looked up at Nic and smirked. She then pulled down her hood, revealing her long hair as white as snow, which fell over her shoulders. She had what looked like eerie green eyes and pale skin. She proceeded forward as the army parted before her as she went to get a better look of Nic.

Nic was troubled, not just by this woman, but the fact she had something to do with Zeref. Nic remembered Zeref being an ancient wizard that was of pure evil and hatred.

She smirked at Nic, smitten by his appearance. "Oh my, what do they call you gorgeous?" She asked. Nic was sick to the core. She was obviously seducing him, which Nic didn't find amusing.

"I suppose it's ladies first." He said in an unemotional way.

Her smirk widened. "Hmm. I see we have ourselves a gentlemen. I'm known as Rosa. And you?"

He paused, trying not to hesitate. "Nic."

"Nic." Rosa was perplexed by saying his name. "That's a rather peculiar name."

She turned around and made her way in front of the army. "Enough stalling, let us proceed."

With a snap of her fingers, she signaled for the army to proceed once more. Kecleon observed the army beginning to move once more. She watched as they all began walking and she kept being stealthy to avoid detection, with her being invisible the entire time. At the time, Kecleon noticed about another twenty or so shadows vanish with no warning. Kecleon was beginning to have some speculations as to how the woman's magic worked, but needed to get some more intel in order to be sure. Regardless, Kecleon had to make use of what she gas.

Kecleon proceeded to track them with the upmost caution. There was no telling as to what was to become of Nic or the woman's magic.

* * *

><p><strong>Later…<strong>

After yet another hour of relentless walking, trees began to decrease in numbers and began to thin out. This eventually led to an open field of grass. Kecleon wasn't worried for it was invisible, but was beginning to worry as to what is to happen now that they were in a field. She would eventually descend from the trees and follow by swift foot. She, however, did not proceed too far and stayed back as a lookout and watch over and become a surprise. This mission allowed no mistakes tonight.

When Nic got towards the field from the forest, the energy he sensed from earlier was even greater in intensity. The Plates from within him were going crazy. It was like a magnet to a fridge. This energy was irresistible to Nic, but he didn't know if it was good or bad. He looked ahead and saw a structure that was similar to that of a step pyramid.

'_Oh sweet Mother McArthur.' _This structure was huge! It was bigger than that tower that the Mega Evolution guru lived in. This structure was large with what looked like flat and smooth shale, with smooth and no rugged edges. There were stairs that led to the flat top. Nic stood forth at the humungous structure, gazing at its size and how beautifully made it was.

'_Wish I could take a picture, but they would probably confiscate my phone.' _He thought. He held back the intensity of his voice, because his body was feeling energetic. He can't explain it, but it felt like this energy is like two tons of sugar. It was driving the plates inside of him nuts. He also had another sense of dread, as though it were another type of energy at the same. There were two energy signatures, and both originate from the pyramid. This definitely didn't feel good. Not one bit.

The two saw two more cloaked wizards approach. The shadow army parted so as the wizards confronted Nic.

One was taller than the other. They both pulled down their hoods to reveal themselves. The tall one had spiky white snow hair. He had narrow eyes and eyes of the ocean abyss. He had a mark all over his face. It was like a black stripped tattoo running from around his eyes and ran down his cheek bones and ended at the bottom of his neck. He had a serious look that made him look like the head of them all.

Nic turned to see the shorter one. This one was a little taller than Nic. Unlike the other two, he had messy, black hair. He had brown eyes that were of the tainted earth. He had a weird tattoo on his forehead that looked ancient. It also looked like a hieroglyphic eye.

All three gathered and stood in front of him.

"You seem to be different compared to the others." Said the taller one, feeling as though Nic was different in a way he couldn't describe.

"How so?" Nic asked, feeling mentally ready for a brawl.

Rosa stepped in. "Though, he is pretty cute." She admitted, licking her lips.

The other two men didn't care one bit. They had to proceed to revive Zeref and bring forth his power. "No matter, the ritual shall proceed."

Rosa pouted. "C'mon. We could have so much fun together."

Nic was well aware of what she meant by "fun", and that feeling almost made him sick. She gave Nic a glint that had send shivers up his spine, if they spare him, he wouldn't get out of this alive anyway.

"Rune is right, the ritual shall commence." Conjore, the tall one, stated. "Bring him forth!"

Rosa was willing to wrap her arms around Nic, much to the latter being uncomfortable, as they began up the flight of stairs that looked as though it could touch the stars. She had her head somewhat resting on his shoulder, as though they were a couple walking romantically. Nic did not like this touchy feeling from her, especially since she and her pals are the enemy.

As they began to climb even further up, Nic felt as though was ready to burst out of the pyramid. Nic was literally on top of both sets of energy. Nic wasn't going to forget he was bait, if they found out he was a "wizard" this very instant, then the plan would be compromised.

He had to lay low until the time was right, then he and Kecleon would strike.

* * *

><p><strong>Before you start asking why, let me answer in anticipation. I chose Kecleon not just because I wanted to introduce another pokémon, but also because Greninja was relied more on speed, as to where Kecleon is a master of stealth and camouflage. Let me also add that I wanted Nic to have a team that has unpopular pokémon, exclude Greninja and Charizard.<strong>

**I am making up names, as you could see. What was ironic was that I looked up the definition of "Rune", and it said a mark of mysterious or magic significance. That was pretty convenient. **

**So this is during the Galuna Island Arc. Since I didn't like that arc, I had Nic take a different path. Don't panic, Nic will be in the Phantom Lord Arc with participation of sorts.**

**I got done early because of one snow day this week, so the next update might be of early next week.**

**Please Favorite, Follow, and Review this story and/or chapter.**

* * *

><p><strong>Next time: Two Ancients Unleashed<strong>


	6. Two Ancients Unleashed

Chapter 6 – Two Ancients Unleashed

**S'up peeps! I got another update here for you. I have another FanFiction that's coming soon, so that's what's keeping me from updating this story. Don't panic or go crazy, I'll still be working on this story; in fact, one of my stories that I've been doing for a friend is nearing the final chapter. Expect some updates here and there between the two.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon nor Fairy Tail, they belong to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo, and Hiro Mashima. The only thing I do own is the OC.**

**For the record, I forgot that Hiro's name was the one that created Fairy Tail, so that was a huge coincidence.**

**Regardless, let's get on with this story! **

**FOREWARNING: Insanely long chapter!**

**To Recap:**

After going to a café and talking with Erza for a little bit, the two decided to spend some time together and got to know the other's past. He then went to go on a job to find some Plates (not dining plates) and get some cash into his pockets. He enters Freesia to find that the town has to make a daily sacrifice in order to have peace with three wizards. Nic uses himself as bait while his Kecleon trails him and the army to an open field that has a shale pyramid of sorts for a ritual to revive Lord Zeref.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6 – Two Ancients Unleashed<strong>

Nic didn't like this feeling, and it wasn't the creepy seductive lady draped on his shoulder. It was a more vile and potent feeling. The Magic energy was massive, more massive than he could have imagined. He had to think as to how this group of people got this power. Nic recalled the Dark Guild Eisenwald. That guild was linked to Zeref, and the name Zeref came from this particular group as well. There might be a good chance that these guys have more power than Erigor and that demon Lullaby put together.

This left Nic to assume one thing.

He looked up at the three above him and asked something. "Mind if I ask something?"

The three turned towards Nic, but still pressed on. Rosa licked her lips and squeezed harder. "What might it be handsome?" She asked seductively. "If it's about that silly ritual, don't worry. I wouldn't wanna ruin the surprise, a fine-looking townsfolk like you isn't a Mage after all."

That's right. The enemy isn't suppose to know he's from another guild. He acted like an ordinary citizen from Freesia. Boy, this will be a shock to them when they find out the truth.

Anyway, Nic got back on topic and asked his question. "No, it's not about this ritual." He paused before speaking again. "You guys are a Dark Guild, aren't you?" His tone was slightly more accusing. The three wizards stopped walking and stood in place, all three were shocked from this statement. Conjore looked back towards Nic, seeing his eyes glaring towards him. Conjore definitely had an uneasy feeling about this guy now.

'_Just what is this guy?' _He questioned himself. He made a façade by smirking. "You're not dumb, I'll give ya that much." He remarked, turning back and walking up. Rune just glared at him before they all proceeded once more. As far as he was concerned, he was another sacrifice from a crappy town. He sure was arrogant. Nic was sure that Rune wasn't as suspicious as Conjore was. He could tell by how he was glaring at him more uncertain than the other. Nic had to keep his guard up.

Nic looked over and saw that Rosa was purring, seeing how he had looks and brains. Nic had to hold back his sigh as they continued onward. _'What would Erza think if she saw this? Better yet, what wouldn't she do?' _Nic thought, imagining if Erza was right there. She might try and tear Rosa's arms off at least and send her flying thirty miles to who knows where.

They had another minute to go, and they finally reached the top. It was flat and square in shape. There were three triangles and a red symbol going about the entire flat top. The center was a solid red with a diameter of a meter. From there, the red markings circulated and stretched about in zigzags and more circular patterns that reached the edge of the strange top. The Runes were obviously from strange text that was ancient. Near the other end was an altar that was rather small. It was like a little rock that you could stash away something

Nic wiggled his arm free of Rosa's arms, but she only pouted as her time with him has come to an end. Rune and Rosa escorted Nic to the middle, where the red circle was, while Conjore walked over towards the altar. He turned and had some sort of long six feet sphere with a blood red bladed-edged crystal on the end. The crystal emanated a demonic influence that Nic could sense. This wasn't like Lullaby, but more bloodthirsty and unholy. Nic had a pretty good feeling that this was coming from the glowing crystal.

Rosa and Rune took their positions on the two triangles, and began to recite a chant. It was some words that Nic had no clue was. Probably ancient words, definitely not Italian. The runes then began to glow a blood red that filled the air with such evil. Nic could feel the energy all around him, it was making his skin crawl. Nic had to stay put, no matter how bone-rattling the feeling got. Kecleon was watching from the distance, just at the tree line. She recalled Nic saying to jump when he's in a dilemma. She tilted her head and proceeded past the army, still invisible. She swiftly found the staircase and trailed upwards.

Nic then felt as though his body became completely immobile. He was stuck within that tiny circle, paralyzed and not able to even lift a finger. This sick energy was binding his body so that he couldn't escape. The only thing he could move was his head and neck.

Nic turned his head to see that Conjore has joined in on the chanting. As the chanting proceeded, the spear was slowly rising and was levitating from Conjore's hands. The spear made way towards Nic very slowly and Nic saw that the circle under him was swirling with blood red energy, drawing the weapon ever so near. Finally, the chanting stopped and they were speaking English again.

"The seal shall be broken, with the body of the relentless human race and their blood of greed." Conjore recited. "The new era of darkness and chaos shall enter the twilights and swallow the light. With one more sacrifice, let it appease the hunger of the demons that dwell within the name of Zeref. The death of the oblivious and the unfortunate shall awaken his power."

The spear was above five feet away from Nic and at a killing arc from above. Nic now was in a panic. His heartbeat was racing faster than the fastest Rapidash and pounding harder than a Heavy Slam. Nic swallowed hard, hoping for his pal to make her appearance.

'_If I possibly die, let me remember three things.' _Nic mentally prepared a will. _'My pokémon. The ones who stood by my side and would follow me through death, they are my true family. Let me remember Fairy Tail, and how annoying Natsu and Gray are when they fight. I still don't know why Gray takes his shirt off, it's weird. I'll miss Erza for as long as eternity lasts. Finally, let me remember one more vital thing…omelets. Boy, how delicious they were. The numerous omelets I could've had. I'd find it nice to have two omelets at most in a week, but I guess I'll have as many as I want now.'_

The spear then came down. Just as the blade was coming down on Nic, a shadow from underneath sprung up and rammed into the spear, knocking its trajectory off. It missed Nic and hit between his two feet. The spear cracked the circle, making the runes stop glowing and freeing Nic, enabling him to move again.

The three wizards only had a few seconds to process this as they were all suddenly hit by Kecleon's Slash and they all fell to their sides by this stealthy intruder. They all laid down and looked up to see Kecleon reappear by Nic's side.

"Just in time." Nic said, looking down at the Color Swap Pokémon. She simply tilted and turned her head and looked in another direction.

"That spear looked pointy." Kecleon said in her creepy manner that always sounds so innocent. Kecleon usually points out the obvious and says weird things, but Nic and the other pokémon can always understand her point.

Nic looked at the spear and kicked it away, off of the pyramid and plummeting down towards the grassy field. "So it was." Nic agreed. Nic then glowed, activating his Splash Plate form. He then turned back towards Kecleon. "You know what to do." Kecleon nodded. It turned invisible, exclude the red stripe, and zoomed down from the pyramid. Nic followed and leaped down from the steps. Kecleon was using her Shadow Sneak and taking out multiple shadows all on her own.

"Kecleon!" Nic shouted, reaching the bottom and signaling her to come to his side. She revealed herself and was back by Nic's side without the army touching her.

"**Surf!**" An enormous tide then erupted from underneath him, having the two ride it without harm. The wave swallowed up the entire army and the three from above on the pyramid watched as their army was reduced to zero by one move. When the water cleared out, all of the shadows were no more. Every single one has vanished. Kecleon then leaped from Nic's side and looked up at him.

"Hang ten!" she said, waving her arms up. Nic did the same and waved his arms a little as well, satisfied to have those guys out of the way too. Suddenly, Nic and Kecleon both sensed something.

They turned and Rune suddenly appeared before them and shot a punch on Nic. He blocked with his elbow and pivoted. He then punched him in his gut and he regained his footing immediately from upon landing. He back off a few feet as the other two were surrounding them. They were at different sides, all cornering the two. They were pretty fast to recover such a critical blow from Kecleon's Slash from earlier.

"I thought something was different about you." Conjore proclaimed. "It looks as though Freesia has enlisted the help of another guild. I think we need to repay them a visit once we're done with this amateur and his overgrown gecko."

"I am a Kecleon." She stated, correcting him and hardly taking offense. Nic narrowed his eyes and turned his attention towards the three enemies.

"No guys aren't going to rob another soul tonight, for we'll stop you." Nic proclaimed, with Kecleon now battle ready and holding up her claw.

"You're welcome to try." Conjore said in an amused way. He spread his arms out, being cocky and inviting Nic to attack him. Nic noticed that the spear from earlier was zooming at high speed and flew into Conjore's hand. He now held onto the spear and smirked. "Though, you're efforts will be futile." He finished.

"We'll see."

"I say we bring the pain." Kecleon said in her weird manner. Nic couldn't agree more. Kecleon always gets her point across, no matter what she says.

Nic thought as to make a tactic that involved catching them off guard and getting them all individually. He would need a diversion, so he used Muddy Water and tried to swamp the whole place. Kecleon was swift to avoid the three-sixty tidal wave. The other three leaped, but Nic lunged at Rune with an Aqua Jet. Rune blocked it with his arms and brushed Nic away. He then had his fingers straighten out, and they glowed a blue that also extended their length. Nic then sprinted with Razor Shell at Rune, but was caught off by being grabbed by a huge hand.

"Oh boy, it would appear that you've forgotten about me." Rosa stated. She rode on the large monster's shoulder and laughed. Nic was being held by a huge humanoid monster that Rosa might have created. He tried struggling free, but to no avail.

He took notice that this monster wasn't like the other ones. For one thing, it was touching him and he wasn't falling into a nightmare. Another thing he noticed was that it felt as hard as a rock. He looked over quickly and saw that a large portion of the field was missing. She must have somehow made this monster from the field only a few moments ago.

"You're a bad boy." She continued. "Using an Animation Spell on something this large was very hasty for me to do, especially after you took out my army of shadows."

Nic continued to try and break free of the grip he was in.

"Just give up already!" Conjore shouted from afar. "You're no match for us. You never had a chance to beat us in the first place."

Nic was showing signs of being annoyed. He was beginning to grit his teeth and glaring at them viciously. "You irritate me!"

They all failed to register the presence of Kecleon until she was spotted on the ground in front of the monster. She opened her mouth and the inside began glowing red. She then shrieked loudly, causing red shockwaves to come out from her mouth. The rock monster was shuddering at Kecleon's Screech. Since it didn't have ears and the vibrations were so immense, tiny parts of it was crumbling off. Rosa covered her ears and began to yelp for it to stop. She twisted left and right, unable to focus and the rock monster was beginning to crumble and break down.

As it was doing so, Nic was able to pry himself loose. Fortunately for Nic, Screech only affects its intended targets, so he was safe from the earsplitting attack. He jumped and turned towards the crumbling monster and Rosa. He unleashed a powerful Water Pulse from his two palms and threw it at the monster's cracked chest. They all watched as the monster exploded into shattered fragments and Rosa was send flying. She was in midair and Kecleon ran and leaped behind her. She let loose a Slash and send her crashing in front of her accomplices.

She slowly got up, agitated that her monster was obliterated with ease by two novices.

"You sorry beast! You've done it now!" Rosa shouted at Nic. Her flirtatious and seductive manner was replaced by a more cynical and angry side of her.

Nic had to change his strategy. Now that surprise attacks were no longer available, he had to swat them down one at a time. He has to make sure that he takes as little damage as he could. The three wizards were only a little injured, but not as much as he wanted them to be. This was going to be a little bit harder than he had anticipated.

"Not bad." Conjore remarked. "Nevertheless, your efforts are in vain. You're clearly outmatched here. Did you honestly believe that you could take on Tartaros?"

Nic was confused. He tilted his head just like Kecleon does.

"Eh, Tartaros?" Nic asked.

"Yes. We are part of one of the three most powerful Dark Guilds in history." Conjore explained, clenching a fist and smirking heinously. "The Magic Council labelled us the weakest of the Baram Alliance, big mistake for those old prunes. Tartaros has been storing power this entire time, so we're actually, and secretly, the most powerful guild ever devised. Those fools think they're all high and mighty, well we'll see who's superior once our plan goes accordingly. Their so arrogant in fact, that they don't even realize that they have quite a few traitors among their ranks."

Nic was now gritting his teeth even more. He hated the Council just as much as he did. The very mention of the Magic Council itself mad Nic want to break something. He could understand as to why they wanted to do it to the Council, but using innocent lives in doing so was going too far. He even had the very thought of someone being a traitor. He suspected Siegrain almost immediately. He knew something was off about him.

He shook his head and tried to refocus his efforts into stopping these guys. He couldn't be distracted by mere thoughts of a potentially lethal future. He had to remain focus on the present.

"So you just plan to show power, by killing off the innocent? The Council will only think less of you monsters!" Nic berated. "What can you possibly gain from killing the innocent?"

Conjore smirked even more now, making him look as though he was a madman. "It's not so much the Council than it is with our primary goal. Tartaros is dedicated to reviving Zeref, and we simply needed nightmares in doing so. We snagged every person we could, starting with the ones that were inflicted with nightmares. After we're finished with those guys, it's on towards the rest of the town. Those dumb fools cannot be allowed to live in a world where they can't use Magic. If anyone is considered a nuisance, you included, they'll be disposed of, forbidden to see a future of greatness. Those without Magic shall be disposed of, and Lord Zeref shall reign in the coming ages of darkness and ever thriving Magic. A future where Zeref and his followers shall stomp all over the weak, that is what we shall gain."

Nic sighed and shook his head. _'The madness never ends.' _He thought. He then turned back up towards the three maniacs and glared them down, getting into a fighting stance in the process.

"Aside from the fact that you've knocked a few of your own crews loose, I'm pretty sure that I'll be whooping your sorry behinds." Nic proclaimed.

"Save the children!" Kecleon proclaimed. She wasn't wrong there as well. They needed to protect the future and its future inhabitants from these weirdoes. Man, she's really good at getting a point across.

Conjore's smirked expression turned into a devilish frown in a split second. One moment, he was gloating of a future of darkness, and the next thing you know, he's got shivers going down your spine.

"Kill him and his pet." He ordered. The two other wizards then advanced towards the two contenders.

Nic glowed and shifted into his Toxic Plate. He ran up and Kecleon followed suit. Rune rushed in while Rosa was summoning forth a few shadow from before.

Rune confronted Nic while Kecleon dealt with said shadows, aware of not to be made contact with. Rune gave Nic an elbow to the gut, where Nic recoiled and pivoted. He turned and used Poison Jab, but Rune shifted to his right and Nic regained footing. Nic lunged forward with another Poison Jab. Rune dodged and grabbed Nic's arm and threw him overhead. Not the best choice.

Turning away, he saw that the small group of shadows was taken down by Kecleon's Shadow Sneak. Keleon worked fast. Kecleon immediately turned back towards Rune and pivoted and ran straight for him. Rune was ready to counter her assault, but was stopped by a Sludge Bomb to the head, sending him hurling back and sliding on the ground a few feet.

Nic regained footing upon using that midair attack and tried to take an analysis just like that. He noticed that whenever Rune looked at something or someone, that large eye mark on his forehead lit up. He also picked up as to how he was able to avoid Nic's Poison Jabs easily, but noticed that he was hit when he wasn't looking.

A theory developed in Nic's head, thinking that eye could see into the future as long as that said Mage has a visual on the opponent. There was only one way to find out. Nic turned back towards Kecleon.

"Kecleon, do your thing!" Nic shouted. Kecleon then became invisible, all except the red stripe. Nic turned back and leaped. He came at Rune with his mouth open and enveloped his fangs in a thick poison. "**Poison Fang!**" As his strong, venomous teeth was about to bite down on the wizard of evil, Rune stepped back and watched as Nic fell forward. He gave Nic a good punch to the gut, but saw Nic grab his wrist. He yanked on his arm that he used to punch the Multitype Mage and he bit into his arm, sending relentless pain through his body. Rune yelped in pain as he brought his arm in a circle and elbowed Nic.

Nic smirked back as he stumbled backwards. After regaining ground, he looked and saw that Rune looked rather feverish and his nose looked a little purple. He was badly poisoned. He coughed as he knelt on the ground, unable to withstand the poison. Rune was a little pale and he slowly got back up, groaning and glaring at Nic.

"Bet you didn't see that." Nic shouted out.

"You're going to die." Rune growled. He leaped forward, ready to punch. He was running forward until he was stopped from the side. Something slashed him from his right, and back to his left. He stumbled back a few feet and let out a gasping breath, having the poison take its toll.

He'd forgot that Nic's Kecleon turned invisible and was moving fast. Since he could get a visual on the Color Swap Pokémon, he couldn't predict its moves.

"Come out and fight you coward!" He shouted, turning left and right. He'd tried to search for that red stripe. He scanned the area, but didn't see it. Either it was too fast or it ran off.

"Hello?" Nic whistled, getting his attention. Rune turned back at him and was hit from behind with Kecleon's Slash, propelling him forward and unable to fend against Nic's Poison Jab into his gut.

He gawked as he fell forward into a Poison Jab he couldn't counter. Kecleon was swift and smart enough to jump above as Rune was observing his surroundings from before to avoid detection. Talk about being a sight for sore eyes. Ha!

He slumped backwards into an unconscious state. He wasn't going to be getting up for awhile. Nic's poison wasn't that lethal, but it sure knocked his lights out.

Having that said and done, Nic only had two more to go. The flirty crazy head and the tall one with a spear. He shifted his focus over to Rosa and was ready to fight the said Mage that could use Animation Magic to give life and form to certain things with certain characteristics.

Rosa summoned forth three human sized rock monsters from the earth, much like the big one she made from before. Given that they weren't shadows this time, Nic assumed they'll have the same characteristics as did the giant one, meaning upon contact he won't fall asleep.

Nic would imagine that since they're also made of earth, that meant that they should be easy to destroy. He remembered that since they're solid, Kecleon's Screech can make their bodies vibrate, causing them to crumble and weaken, which meant Nic could use a physical attack and easily shatter them. Nic thought of this in less than three seconds. That's how fast Nic was when being serious in a battle.

The three golems advanced, and they were much more agile than the one before. It had to be the lack in size that gave them such speed. Since they weren't as large or made of much earth, their bodies were lighter.

Nic changed from his Toxic Plate over towards his Splash Plate.

The first golem shot a direct punch to Nic's face, of which he was able to dodge by jumping. Nic was about to unleash a Water Gun from above, but failed to take into account that the second golem jumped and tackled him to the ground. Nic was send crashing into the ground with a five hundred pound earth being standing affirm and ready to throw a punch.

Just before impact, Kecleon was able to throw the beast off with a swift Shadow Sneak, allowing Nic enough area to stand and use a point blank Water Pulse. The water explosion had send the beast flying and crash into the ground with several fractures in its body. The first and third rock monsters advanced and Nic used Bubblebeam to stop them in their tracks. The attack made contact, having the creatures block with their arms. Slowly, they were pushed back. The moment when Nic stopped was when they unguarded themselves, which wasn't even two seconds later that Kecleon used Slash on both of them, leaving shallow gashes in their abdomens.

Kecleon back flipped and was right next to Nic. Kecleon stood for a brief moment, thinking back as to how this woman's magic was strange.

She recalled that Rosa could summon creatures that had to be under her control, but she remembered something that was extremely important. During when Nic was talking to her in the forest, Kecleon noticed shadows disappearing. She looked rather fixated on him, so that meant her mental capabilities had to be of some value. Kecleon noted that when she used Screech from before, Rosa couldn't concentrate, forcing the rock monster to crumble. It was no doubt her mental capabilities.

Upon realizing this, Kecleon turned towards Nic. "Nic!" she said, somewhat tilting her head. "I know her weakness."

"Feel free to fill me in anytime now." Nic said, seeing the creatures close in on them again. All three rock monsters were up and they were swiftly making way towards the two.

"The crazy lady needs focus to work those dummies." She said. Nic then pieced it together. It did make sense. He noticed she did lose concentration when Screech had hit, so it must be true. With a brand new strategy, Nic cracked his knuckles.

"Let's get to it!" Nic said.

"We shall rock their world." Kecleon said in her usual innocent yet creepy voice. She learned the puns from Nic, and she still made a point. Is there nothing she can say that's beside the point?

Just before the rock monsters could make contact, the two leaped back to avoid the beings. Kecleon used Screech and the red shockwave had the monsters stay still. Rosa could feel the intense Screech ringing her ears. This lowered all of their defenses sharply, leaving Nic to do some damage.

"**Razor Shell**!" Nic shouted.

He straightened his fingertips and they extended into long, blue, glowing blades. He ran up and sliced all three monsters that were shaking and crumbling from the lack of control Rosa had. They were all easily taken down, leaving Rosa to fend for herself. Sadly, she was in no position to defend.

Kecleon had just stopped using Screech, but Rosa's ears were still ringing like bells. Nic took the opportunity to switch into his Zap Plate really fast and then go for a sprint. By the time she uncovered her ears, Nic was right in front of her face with a ThunderPunch that said 'I'll give you a real charge!'. Hehe, puns.

Nic send a roaring ThunderPunch that dug into her chest, with her screaming with the combination of a physical punch and electricity shocking every nerve in her body. The attack sent her soaring back at high speed past Conjore and slam into the pyramid wall, leaving a tiny crater in her place. She fell to the ground with a thud and static popping up a few times. She was definitely out, with some paralysis for an insured policy of not getting up anytime soon.

'_That's two for three.'_ Nic thought, using his opponents as fractions, each being a third.

"That was pretty shocking." Kecleon stated. That comment was not only obvious, but clever as it was punny as well. How does she do it?

Conjore was deeply enraged by this turn of events. Two Dark Guild Wizards were taken down with ease by an amateur wizard that didn't even look all that tired. He glared at Nic with rage.

"How dare you?!" Conjore scolded the Multitype Mage. He had a thick black and purple aura surging all over his body. "My accomplices, beat by an ignorant snob and an overgrown lizard!"

Nic raised a brow. "If we're so ignorant, then how come we whooped your friends' sorry behinds?" he retorted.

"He just got oveeerrrrr!" Kecleon shouted, having her hands wail in the air.

Conjore was clenching his fists, his magic surging. "Very well. They may have been no match for you, but my power will give you a glimpse of the despair that you will feel!" Now his magic was concentrated into his right fist, the one that didn't have the spear. This magic was immense in negativity. Nic and Kecleon could sense it from their distance as well.

"Be ready Kecleon!" Nic said, bending his knees and getting into a fighting stance. Kecleon followed suit and showed her claws.

Conjore was grinning very cynically. "Prepare to die."

"Yeah, how about no." Nic said. Conjore then unleashed a beam of pure darkness at Nic. Nic countered with a Thunderbolt, which intercepted the blast. The two assaults collided, but Nic was easily overpowered with the amount of magic Conjore was delivering. The Thunderbolt only held up for about five seconds before the negative blast ploughed through. Nic was caught off guard and was struck with the immense force, giving off a shout of pain before landing on his back a few feet from where he was standing. Nic slowly got back to his own two feet, uneasy from that powerful blast. _'Just how much power does this guy have?'_ Nic thought.

"Now that you had a glimpse of the despair you will suffer from, I believe we should put you out of your misery and give you an eternity's worth of despair." Conjore said.

Nic used Charge Beam and Conjore easily dodged the attack. Kecleon turned invisible and reappeared in front of him in only four seconds. As she was about to strike him with a Slash, he unleashed another blast of pure darkness from his chest rather than his hands. Kecleon was send flying and flipping in midair.

Conjore gave no room to have them recover as he used another blast straight at Nic. Nic dodged by leaping to his right. He came back around and used Electro Web. He spit out a yellow web that surged with electricity. The web came down on Conjore, keeping him immobilized while being electrocuted at the same time. Before long, he shot another blast, freeing himself and getting the Electro Web dispelled. He then launched another blast of pure darkness, of which Nic generated a ball of electricity.

"**Electro Ball!**" He threw the ball at the pure blast of negativity and the two attacks intercepted one another. Since Conjore's speed went down from the Electro Web, Electro Ball's power shot up. Eventually, the two attacks gave in to one another, and an explosion occurred. The two Mages were clouded up by a large cloud of smoke that blocked their visions.

Conjore was cursing for having Nic's power tie with his. He gathered some more magic energy for another blast as soon as Nic moves or is in sight.

Suddenly, he was struck from underneath by Kecleon's Shadow Sneak, making him stumble back. He didn't have time to look as a sphere of yellow and green electricity with a red center, via Zap Canon, came through the smoke towards an off guard Conjore. The attack made impact, electricity flying everywhere. Afterwards, Conjore was barely standing, but electricity was paralyzing him.

The smoke finally cleared, and Nic leaped out with Spark. As Conjore was about to shoot one more assault at him, he was struck by Kecleon's Screech from the side, throwing off the blast's trajectory. The blast missed and Conjore fell to one knee. It wasn't just the damage that has made him drain, but those pure dark blasts he shot exhausted a huge chunk of his magic power. That last shot was all that he had left, meaning he was powerless.

Nic rammed into him, causing him to stumble back. Conjore remained standing, but his face was covered in sweat from overuse of his magic on so few blasts.

"You lousy punk!" He muttered under his breath. "I've had enough. I may not be able to drain your nightmares nor soul, but I'll kill you!" He held up the spear with the crystal. He was no doubt gonna try and strike Nic down with just that.

As Conjore was dashing forward to strike, he (once again) failed to notice Kecleon, of whom wasn't even visible. Kecleon was just too fast for him to trace as she swiped him from behind, knocking him over. He groaned as he looked to see that he didn't have the spear in possession.

"What?! Where did it-!" He was wide eyed when he saw Kecleon with the spear. Nic smirked, seeing how Kecleon's Thief was able to finish him. Conjore couldn't move, but watched as Kecleon looked back at him with the spear.

"Give it back!" Demanded Conjore. "Lord Zeref must be revived! Give it back you fools!" Conjore was infuriated. No matter how much he tried to get up, the paralysis kept him from doing so.

"You guys really think you're mighty?" Nic questioned. "You guys were way too easy." He then looked down at Kecleon and nodded, allowing her to terminate the spear. She held up an arm at an angle with Slash at the ready.

"Stop!" Conjore yelled.

Kecleon threw it up in the air and jumped. She then used Slash, which made the crystal crack. She jumped back down to Nic's side as the spear fell to the ground within Conjore's reach. When it landed near him, bad things happened.

They saw red demon-like energy come from the fractured crystal. It flowed everywhere. When it finally cracked and shattered, it exploded red demon energy.

Like a volcano erupting, the deluge of energy burst from the shattered spear. The explosion was so powerful, that all Nic and Kecleon felt was the feeling of flying. They could hear the faint screams of the three others that sounded like a far distance. The two saw only white for a brief moment, blacked out for that brief second, and they found themselves sailing straight into the debris of the remains of what was the pyramid. The two were too lightheaded and drained to do anything, except fall like meteors crashing into the earth.

'_This is gonna hurt so bad.'_ Nic thought before succumbing to his lightheadedness.

* * *

><p><strong>Sometime later…<strong>

Dawn broke out, and Nic found himself lying on his side. He wasn't in his Zap Plate Form from before, meaning he was reverted back towards himself during his unconsciousness. He felt nothing except pain in every single cell in his body. He clenched his fists in searing pain as he struggled to stand. He was up on his two feet, his hands on his knees. He gasped tremendously for air before. He had multiple scratches and bruises from the explosion. He looked around and was wide eyed.

Everywhere he looked, nothing but pyramid debris. There were piles and piles of black shale scattered about. The entire field was covered in the shattered pyramid. You couldn't find grass unless you were close towards the tree line back into the forest.

Nic searched around, seeing that no one else was there. He wasn't sure if the other guys were buried or dead. _'Are they…? What did…? Wait!"_ Nic remembered that his Kecleon was caught in that explosion. Almost like he had a sugar rush, he jumped and tossed rocks everywhere in search of his dear Color Swap Pokémon.

"Kecleon!" Nic shouted. "Where are you?!" He then turned and saw his pokémon approach from over a hilly pile. She looked just as bad as Nic, but at least she wasn't dead. Nic dropped to his knees and let out the deepest breath you've ever imagined. He was so thankful that she was okay.

"Nic!" Kecleon shouted. She walked out and hugged him. Kecleon was relieved that her trainer wasn't dead either.

Nic got back up and looked back around. "What happened?" He asked quietly.

"We were caught up in that explosion and we hit the ground very hard." Kecleon explained. She then looked back in the direction that she came from. "I found something though."

Nic was curious as to what she found. With what strength he could muster, he followed her towards the original spot of the pyramid. It was surrounded by huge chunks of shale, but the middle was somewhat leveled.

It was really strange. Some time ago, Nic sensed two powerful signatures that originated from the pyramid. One was super evil and one made his plates go nuts inside. During the battle, Nic's sensory towards those things turned off. Now, his sensory was back on. Though there was one thing off; one of the signatures from before was gone. Nic didn't feel his spine shiver, so it must be the energy that made the plates react that wasn't rid of. The evil energy was dispelled.

Nic was walking ever so closer towards the middle and the plates were acting like metal detectors. When they continued walking, they were getting crazier and crazier. Nic then saw something under a few grains of rock. It looked like some sort of stone, but it was more like a midnight blue. Nic's plates suddenly stopped reacting as soon as he was ten feet away. The weird stone then slowly lit up, as did Nic.

"You're shining!" exclaimed Kecleon. Nic felt the plates starting to draw in the one stone. The stone was levitating in front of them, slowly coming towards Nic. Nic quickly pieced it together. The forest. The plates. The pyramid. The reaction. Now it all made sense. There was no question about it.

It was a plate. Not just any plate, the Dread Plate.

Upon realizing this, Nic had his mouth open in shock. That explained the signature coming from the pyramid from earlier. Slowly, the Dread Plate made its way in front of Nic. Once the plate had touched Nic's chest, a flash of light appeared, as well as a slight pain. Nic gritted his teeth as the plate began fusing with Nic. The process was rather painful, but it was the first time. Add the fact that he was already damaged. The light slowly faded, and the process was complete. Nic now had six out the eighteen he had to collect.

"Wow." Nic muttered. He could feel about a millennium's worth of history flow through his body. This plate was ancient, no question. He felt all of the evil come from the plate, and it filtered into a positive energy for him. It was rough to describe. The plate gave off a vibe that could send shiver down your spine, but after a few seconds, he felt better than he was twenty seconds ago. Think of it as a vaccination for evil.

Nic then turned back and saw the sun beginning to rise even higher. He flipped on his sunglasses and plopped back down on the crumbled shale. As did Kecleon.

Nic turned to her in exhaustion still. "Kecleon, you okay?" Nic thought. Kecleon did look tired, but who could blame her. She fought with Nic against three wizards, and survived a catastrophic explosion, and got up earlier and found the plate.

"So…tired." She said in her usual creepy and innocent voice.

Nic grinned and looked back up into the sky. "Yeah. I wonder what happened to those guys?" He wondered. This question went unanswered as Nic got out a poke ball and held it up to Kecleon. "You did a great job destroying that thing Kecleon, now get some rest. Return." With absolute zero reluctance, Kecleon returned to her poke ball to get some rest. Nic then fell on his back and succumbed to exhaustion. Man, that explosion took a lot out of him. Poor guy.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, back in Freesia…<strong>

The women were doing their morning laundry and cleaning. Some were washing dishes, others were hanging clothes to dry. Some were unchanged from last night's choosing, but some felt rather curious as to why Nic had no fear in his eyes. This scene of bravery replayed over and over in some of their minds. This was the kind of bravery that could leave you depressed if it were in vain. This made some women feel less hopeful.

Before Hiro went to the office for some mayor stuff, Jane ran up to him. The little dog followed in pursuit.

"Daddy." The little girl said. Hiro turned around towards his daughter and crouched down.

"What is it sweetheart?" He asked. She just stood there with a blank expression on her face until she slowly began to tear up. She then leaped into her father's arms and began sobbing. Hiro stood back up with her in his arms.

"What's the matter sweetie?" He asked in deep concerns of his little girl.

"I don't wanna lose you." She sobbed. Hiro held his daughter and comforted her.

"Don't worry Jane, I'm not going anywhere." He assured. She kept sobbing for the next three minutes. This victim claiming was shaking her up really bad. It was bad enough that she'd lost her mother, but it would just break her if her father was next.

Last night was something that left her in awe. She was in the closet at that time and Edmund went to comfort her after his chat with Nic. He told her it's alright to admit fear so that you could grow strong. That replayed in her mind a few times.

_She was in her closet, huddled in a corner. She was on the verge of tears as she couldn't bare such anguish. She felt a few tears drop when the closet door slowly opened, revealing her big brother and the dog. _

_The two slowly went up to Jane, so as she doesn't get startled. The dog sniffed her face, making her move about as its wet nose was tickling her. She broke into a grin and then a giggle as it continued. _

_Edmund came and sat right next to his little sister. "Hey sis." He said._

_She looked back at him, very unsure of what to do_

"_Big brother, I'm scared." She quietly said. The dog ceased its sniffing and went to lay by her other side. Edmund looked at his sister, showing that he wasn't as afraid._

"_It's okay Jane." He said. "At least you know you're afraid, but that's a good thing."_

_The little one looked up in curiosity. "Why is that a good thing?"_

_Edmund looked at the dog as it looked at them. He reached over as he petted it. "Well, Nic told me something that could really be useful. He told me that there were many ways to confront fear, and we both did just that. We admitted our own fear."_

"_But, why is that good?"_

"_Because you can learn to conquer that fear and grow strong. I mean, I was no different from you five minutes ago, but Nic told me that fear can drive us to become strong, so that we can overcome it and protect what's dearest to us."_

She let go of her father as he closed the door and went off to work. She watched him go as the dog sniffed her face again, making her giggle. She walked back into the backyard to play around with the dog. She couldn't help but be curious. She didn't like wizards because they've failed to save her beloved mother, yet Nic brought her brother out of the darkness and into the light. What happened to Nic? She was asking questions to herself, starting to feel a change in heart.

* * *

><p><strong>With Nic<strong>

A little past four in the afternoon, and Nic finally has risen to his feet. He was fully conscious and his body had recovered some strength. He finally took one look around before he took off towards the town. Freesia shouldn't be too far. If it only took him two hours to get here, then it should take the same amount of time to get back.

Nic began his arduous walk back to Freesia. He ventured through the woods as fast as his legs could carry him, which wasn't very fast at all. He could only go as fast as he was when he was being escorted last night. He could only take it step by step. He focused on walking and nothing else. He had to conserve as much energy as he could in case if he confronts those guys again. The odds were that they were six feet under, literally, or they're in the same state he's in. He didn't have the time nor capability to worry.

He eventually made it halfway into the woods, and then he plopped right next to a tree. Just how much did that freaking explosion take out of him?! If anyone had to take a guess, that explosion of negative power drained his body for an extensive period of time. The same with Kecleon. The odds were that he wasn't going to be at full capacity until later on in the evening.

Once again, Nic started to get sleepy.

* * *

><p><strong>Later…<strong>

Nic shot his eyes wide open. His body was now at full capability. He noticed that it was now night time. Roughly around eleven to be more accurate.

'_Dang!' _Nic thought. _'It took me this long to reach a hundred percent?! I haven't overslept in forever!" _Nic just had to get back to Freesia fast.

It was close to midnight, and he was pretty sure if those three survived, the townsfolk would be at their mercy. He climbed a tree and finally got to a branch. With the speed and grace of a ninja, Nic flew from branch to branch. It wouldn't take long for him to get back to Freesia at this pace.

* * *

><p><strong>Freesia<strong>

That evening, Hiro held an emergency meeting in the town square. Hiro has been growing exceedingly anxious as to Nic's success. He's yet to return and no one had a clue as to his whereabouts. The townsfolk were just as anxious as they were restless as they gathered into the town. They were still caught up in the potential fear that he might have been killed and the shadow army will come back for them.

Hiro stood up on a platform in front of the crowd of people. His kids could hear him call out for their attention. Jane stood next to her big brother, who held the dog that was looking just as nervous as they were.

"Remain calm! Please try and look out for the positive!" Hiro announced. The voices among the crowd simmered down to nothing as they were turning their attention towards Hiro. "I understand of your concern and worry. I ask that you hold on until Nic comes back to-."

"He's probably dead!" A voice from within the crowd called out, interrupting Hiro. "He's yet to return, so that would mean those three wizards overpowered him and killed him!"

The crowd murmured in agreement at that possibility. Hiro then called for their attention once more. "We're not sure of that yet. There is no guarantee he's been taken down."

"Then where do you think he is?!" Another citizen challenged him. "If he wasn't killed, then how come he hasn't returned from the forest?"

Hiro grumbled in frustration to think of a reasonable comeback, of which none came to mind. If Nic was defeated, then their demise was sure to be as gruesome as his was.

Regardless, he had to remain positive and stay strong.

"Why don't you all have faith in Nic!" Hiro said.

Then there was a swirling of clouds from above. Lightning surged from within the swirling turbulence. The townsfolk were frightened by this phenomenon and Hiro made his way towards his kids. He huddled and held them close. Dale whimpered as it too was frightened.

There was a cold, demonic laughter from within the swirling clouds. A large creature then appeared from the center of the vortex, of which subsided almost immediately. The creature landed and broke the platform that Hiro was using. People backed away in paranoia as they gazed upon this wretched beast.

The creature was humanoid and was blood red all over. Its body was very bulky in appearance. Black runes were encrypted on its arms, much like the ones that were on the pyramid. The being was twenty feet tall with demon-like wings that didn't fold up. It had a crown of jagged horns and claws that were as black as the night sky. It had shoulder length white hair with a strip of black running down the middle. It had two feral eyes that glared at the crowd. The demon bared its hideous fangs, of which made a few people wet themselves.

"**Pathetic humans**." Conjore, Rune, and Rosa said in unison in a cold demonic voice. "**Faith will do you no good as your Mage is long gone, and so will you**!"

People shivered at this meaning. Nic has failed to stop them. Their fates were decided on his victory, and now their fates were sealed.

"Hold up." Hiro said, recognizing the three voices. "You're those three wizards who attacked us."

"**We were, but now we are reborn as one being**." The creature comprised of three wizards responded. "**We were almost defeated by him, then our most sacred artifact was shattered in front of our eyes. The energy we thoroughly absorbed from that artifact has unleashed this demon that you see before you. This form is the manifestation of us three in this one body – The Nightmare. A demon created by Lord Zeref that required your nightmares to fuel its power. We wouldn't be fee and be able to slaughter you all if it weren't for him**."

The demon unleashed a wave of dark energy that kept the crowd contained as they've tried to escape and run off. Now they were in a dome of see-through darkness. "**No one leaves. I'll bathe in every one of your bloody guts, one by one**." The crowd of people shuddered and huddled at the potential gory demise that might fall upon them.

Hiro and Jane and Dale were so scared that they've failed to see Edmund walk up. away from the crowd and right behind the barrier. The three wizards in that one body chuckled, amused by this foolish act of bravery. Edmund was shaking while glaring at the beast.

'_**Oh well**__.'_ The Nightmare thought. _'__**I guess he'll be the first to go**__.'_

Edmund struggled to keep himself from shaking in front of the twenty foot demon. He had no clue as to what came over him, an impulse maybe. Someone had to stand up to the demon, and Edmund was the only one who did so. The demon looked down at the small boy, amused by his actions.

Edmund was tired of constantly living in fear every night. It was about time they were all rid of this nightmare they've been trapped in for such a long time. He remembered what Nic told him about standing up against his fears. He was indeed scared, but still looked at the demon dead in the eye.

"**What's the matter boy?**" The Nightmare asked. "**So scared you can't stop shaking?**"

Edmund gritted his teeth. "I am afraid, but I ain't no chicken!"

The entire crowd gasped at this burst of courage and the demon looked somewhat annoyed by this act.

"**Very well**." The demon raised its right hand that had magic energy and held it up over Edmund. It then used its powers to force Edmund outside the dome, so that it could strike him down. "**I shall make you fear me!**"

"Edmund!" Hiro yelled out.

"Edmund!" Jane yelled.

The dog barked.

Edmund was prepared for the worst, ready to take the hit for what he'd believed in.

The next thing people saw was the demon getting hit from the side with a Flamethrower. The Nightmare fell on its side before it could strike Edmund. It fell with an earthshaking thud. The dome was dispelled and everyone looked to see where the shot came from.

Nic was on a building right next to the demon, ready to breathe another Flamethrower.

Hiro, Jane, and Dale all sprinted towards Edmund and embrace him in a hug, with Dale licking Edmund's face all over.

"Edmund! You're okay!" Jane said, happy to have not lose another family member.

"Oh thank goodness you're alright!" Hiro said. He looked up at Nic who had just jumped onto the ground. "Thank you so much Nic!"

Nic just nodded and focused his attention back on the demon that was slowly getting up, looking at NIc in the eyes.

"**So, you've survived**." The hideous beast snarled. "**I should have known you were still alive. You're so troublesome.**"

"What can I tell ya, I don't go down easy." Nic stated. He got in a fighting stance, prepared to attack.

"**Let's finish this, shall we?**" The three voiced monster spread its wings and took flight.

"Hiro, get everyone to safety!" Nic commanded, not taking his eyes off of the monster.

Without hesitation, Hiro did as told and directed everyone away from the fight. "C'mon everyone, let's go!"

"Wait!" Jane and Edmund said, both turning toward Nic. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"I can handle this thug." Nic said, still looking at the soaring monster. "You just worry about getting to safety."

With all of that being said, the townspeople made their way out of the area, with the two kids looking back one more time before turning a corner and leaving.

Nic and The Nightmare waited until the townsfolk were a far distance away from the area. Once they saw that the people were out of town, the two glared at each other.

"I'm gonna need some help." Nic muttered. It's true. Nic's gonna need some more fire power if he's going to conquer this demon. This was no doubt going to be harder than last time. The dark magic energy was more potent than from before, add the fact that it was three mages combined and encased into one demon.

He had all of his strength back from that snooze he had, but he didn't wanna bring Kecleon out again. If anything, she must have accumulated a ton of damage from that last fight. She had to rest while someone else tagged in.

Nic threw up a poke ball. "Greninja, let's go!"

Greninja appeared right next to Nic. It was ready to fight the big monster that was circling over their heads.

"Geez, has that guy looked in the mirror lately?" Greninja said, annoying the monster. "Hey buddy, there's this thing called lotion, you could really use that!"

The Nightmare merely gritted its teeth and awaited for their attack.

Greninja turned towards Nic, seeing him shift towards the Sky Plate. "What's the plan?"

Nic observed only for a few seconds before answering. "We lower him to the ground and attack him from there, but we need to be aware of his power."

With only a nod afterwards, Nic spread his wings and flew up. He readied himself to use Wing Attack. He sailed towards The Nightmare with his wings glowing.

The Nightmare, on the other hand, was waiting for Nic to make his move. He saw Nic fly high towards him for an attack, he made no attempt to dodge. Rather, he zoomed straight in.

Nic could see The Nightmare flying in towards him, and he was flying in fast. When he was within range, he lashed at him with his wings. He could've taken the hit, but The Nightmare was more than fast, it was predicting Nic's moves.

The demon grabbed his wrist and gave Nic a punch to the gut, literally knocking the air out of him. Nic gasped as the impact was heavy. Not only was he fast, but stronger as well. The beast held him by the throat for a few seconds before throwing him to the ground. Nic was sailing straight down, with The Nightmare speeding faster than a jet to ram Nic in the back, making the velocity increase dramatically.

"**Die!**" It shouted. Greninja saw this and rushed towards the falling Nic. He crouched down and leaped super high into the air. Its Bounce was making it fly into their direction.

The twenty foot demon didn't think of Greninja before the last second. When it turned to see the frog, it was given a foot to the face. He swiftly grabbed Nic from the fall and he used Bounce to push The Nightmare away as he also sailed back to the ground. Greninja landed safely while the demon was spinning a few times before regaining his balance.

"You okay Nic?" Greninja asked, helping Nic stand on his two feet. Nic coughed a little and finally looked at his pal.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He responded. He then looked up at the horrifying figure making its way towards them. "But he saw straight through my attack. That was Rune's magic. Wait…did it say it was those three combined? If so, then that would mean that thing can use their abilities as well. That would explain such a reflex to my attack."

The Nightmare growled as it was flying over them again. It simply chuckled. "**Not too shabby. Still, it won't work. I must thank you though. We've always thought that The Nightmare was sealed within the pyramid, but it turned out it was the spear. With this new body and power, we can give people what they deserve – death!**"

"We'll have to block its vision so that it won't see our movements." Nic noted.

"Leave it to me!" Greninja stated. Greninja then used Smokescreen to encase the two in smoke so that the demon couldn't see them.

The Nightmare clenched his fists as he looked left and right, but couldn't see through the thick smoke. He flapped his wings and make the smoke cloud vanish, but Nic and Greninja weren't there. It descended to the ground and looked about, moving its head left and right.

It had just forgotten to look behind.

It was shot in the back with a Dark Pulse and an Air Slash combo. It fell forward with a monstrous thud, it screaming as it fell forward. Nic and Greninja both appeared from the alley way just across from where they were. They've managed to make it there before their cover was literally blown.

The demon was about to get back up, but was slammed into the ground once again by Greninja's Bounce. The beast crashed with a huge thud, making a small crater.

The beast spread its wings and shot up from lying down. It turned and glared daggers down on them. "**You had the element of surprise.**" It admitted. "**But your luck's run out!**" It pointed its demonic hands down towards the ground, making five humanoid monsters from the pavement. They were about Nic's size, so they weren't too big, but now they had to deal with six opponents instead of just one.

"I'll take the stones, you stop the demon!" Greninja said. With no room to argue, Nic flew up towards a flat building roof and stood up. Greninja was using smokescreen to provide himself cover so that he could use Water Pulse and Dark Pulse to stop the monsters while their vision was sullied.

Nic looked up as the beast looked down at him, preparing to launch an attack.

"**Nightmare Stream!**" A wave of pure darkness went blasting down towards Nic, who countered with an Air Slash. The two attacks collided, but the stream still burrowed towards Nic through the smoke, but the blast wave was somewhat weakened.

"**Drill Peck!**" Nic's mouth then glowed and became a cone-shaped glow. He then began spinning like a drill and went straight through the middle of the stream. He escalated through the attacked and drilled into the horrid monster's abdomen, causing it to fly back several feet. The monster gritted its teeth and flew in towards Nic. He tried to use Aerial Ace, but the monster anticipated the attack and punched Nic as soon as he'd gotten close. Nic flew back and spun a few circles, which made him a little dizzy. He didn't have time to register the blast of negative energy coming his way. The attack hit him dead on, sending him crashing through a roof.

"**Want more?!**" Shouted the monster. The thick cloud of dust didn't subside just yet, so The Nightmare couldn't get a visual of him.

He saw what looked like a spacial mirror and it shot a blast of negative energy as well. This had send The Nightmare soaring through the air and crash down on the ground with the sound of thunder.

Nic emerged from the crashed roof and slowly descended to the ground. He was getting pretty tired. Already, he was badly bruised and scratched about. The beast sat up, showing its angry expression as to Nic's relentless behavior.

"How did you like a taste of your own medicine?" Nic asked in a rather mocking tone. "Mirror Move really does the trick."

The beast got back up and looked over to see that Greninja had already taken care of the stone monsters. He'd went to regroup with Nic and the two were now fighting side by side.

"**You guys are too persistent! Why don't you just die?!**" The monster demanded.

"Because we will never rest until you're defeat is certain! You've put a lot of innocent people out of their misery, and we'll never forgive you for such a wretched thing!" Nic exclaimed.

"The innocent don't deserve this torture. Just by picking on the weak only makes you a big coward!" Greninja shouted.

"**A coward?! If anyone's to be a coward here, it's you!"** The Nightmare stated.

Nic squinted his eyes to make him look as serious as serious could get. "We'll see."

Nic then began to glow and change into his new form, the Dread Plate. When the glow subsided, Nic had midnight blue eyes. His shoes were a mixture of grey stripes, black, and midnight blue patterns. His jeans were black with a chain on the side, giving him a more punkish look. His sleeveless coat had pure black flames flickering from the bottom up to the back of his thighs. The rest of the sleeveless coat was a midnight blue. Finally, his T-shirt was black with a regular collar, no V-neck, and the sunglasses were hanging from his shirt collar as well.

"You're gonna wish you've never been unleashed!" Nic boasted. The demon just roared as it lunged towards Nic. Nic then disappeared in thin air, having the demon gawk as he kept going forward. He didn't look as Nic reappeared right next to him and gave him an elbow to the face. The beast stumbled back in shock. It failed to detect Greninjs above it as it used Water Pulse straight down on the demon.

The watery explosion subsided and the demon looked perplexed. It bashed its head on a few buildings, not recognizing a thing. It was confused from the Water Pulse. Greninja then landed right next to Nic.

"Ready?" Nic asked. Greninja nodded and the two held out their hands towards one another. Nic held out his right hand, while Greninja showed its left hand. The space between them was being filled with darkness they were making. It was a huge mass of dark rings they were wielding.

"**Dark Pulse!**" The double Dark Pulse was fused into one huge Dark Pulse, sending a torrent of black and purple towards the demon. When the demon turned to see the attack, it was already too late.

There was a huge explosion that occurred. Dust was flying about everywhere and wind was scattering a lot of debris. It subsided rather quickly and Nic and Greninja both saw that the demon had been blown through four buildings. The Nightmare slowly got up, but it tripped as it did, meaning it took some damage.

"**You have infuriated me!**" The demonic being yelled. The ground then began to tremble, as the demon began to surge energy between the palms of its hands. It was slowly welding into a compressed sphere of chaos and darkness. Nic and Greninja just how much power this monster was pouring into the attack.

"This is really, really, reeeaaaallllyyyyy bad." Greninja noted.

Nic just looked on and gulped. This was worse than all of those previous attacks, perhaps even worse than that terrifying explosion from last night. If this attack hits, there wouldn't be any trace of them left.

"Got any ideas?" Nic asked. "I'm open to ideas."

"Well, considering that I don't know Mat Block, we can't guard ourselves. And we most certainly can't intercept it, meaning we're down to a few options."

Nic thought quickly as to how to approach this matter. The first scenario is deflecting it into another direction by aiming an attack a little bit lower. The second scenario is to dodge, and the third scenario…well, that would be a death sentence. Taking the hit would be as stupid as Natsu when he jumped on the boat the first night and got motion sickness.

"I got an idea." Nic said. Greninja looked at Nic in hopes that it was a good plan.

"What is it?" He asked.

"This!" Since nothing came to mind, Nic came up with a last resort. His fist had a pink glow and he sprinted towards the demon. Greninja knew what Nic was gonna do.

'_Charizard was right, Nic has grown bold.'_ He thought to himself.

Nic was five feet away when the attack was fully charge, sending off a high frequency.

"**Hell Canon!**" Nic was able to get there just in the last moment.

"**Sucker Punch!**" Nic let loose a punch to the demon's chest, having it bend back upon impact. It was unable to predict Nic's attack because Hell Canon required every single cell of concentration from within, meaning that it was vulnerable.

The compressed sphere of death then unleashed itself as the demon was falling back. The sphere was unleashed in an enormous wave of a mixture of pure black, purple, grey, and vermilion. The blast wave was redirected and aimed upwards at an angle, obliterating the top half of a building. The attack kept flying high into the sky, roaring throughout the area. The huge wave even made some clouds move. The wave soon dispersed, leaving the roaring sound to dispel only a few moments afterwards.

Nic barely dodged that assault, and he was left with only a little energy left to spare. The demon itself was lying on the ground from lack of balance from the attack it misfired. The Nightmare laid there in a dusty heap, grunting and growling as it tried to get up.

"**You…brat!**" It managed to get out. All of that power buildup took a huge chunk of the demon's power away from it, meaning it's just as drained as Nic was. Greninja appeared right next to Nic, ready to make an attack.

"Nic, what's the plan now?" The beast was now back on its own two feet, huffing a bit from that attack.

"Eh…win?" Nic said.

"Great plan!" Greninja responded. The two advanced as the demon roared. They both got on opposite sides, left and right, and Greninja and Nic both did a double Dark Pulse once more. The demon held out its two hands, having said block both attacks.

"**You fools! I will not lose to such arrogant punks!**" proclaimed the hideous beast.

Nic and Greninja both closed in on the demon as it growled fiercely at them.

"Hey, guess what." Nic said.

"**What?**" The Nightmare asked.

"We don't care!" Nic lunged at the monster's face with a Night Slash, slashing in an angle with a black and red outline arc following. The beast leaned back and avoided the attack and opened its mouth.

"**Demonic Blackout!**" The beast threw its head forward and unleashed a black and blood red blast right into Nic. The force of the attack had send Nic soaring high into the air, with a gasp of pain and air. He blacked out for about two seconds while sailing up. The Nightmare then shot into the air, attempting to attack Nic with its claws.

Nic regained consciousness and he saw the monster sailing at him. _'He's so powerful! I'll just have to use that to my advantage then!' _As Nic was starting to fall, he opened his arms, welcoming the attack. The beast was about to make contact, Nic grabbed its arm, turned it around, and threw him towards the ground. Nic smirked as the demon crashed into the earth. _'Thank you Foul Play.'_ He thought. Since the beast's strength was greater than Nic's, Foul Play did a whole lot of damage. If Nic had taken that hit for real, then he would've been pierced. Nic straightened out and landed without harm.

Greninja rushed over and regrouped with Nic. Nic looked at him and the two now had the chance to show this monster just who is the king of the ring.

The monster turned over on its back as Nic was carried by Greninja as he leaped from building to building, eventually ending up in midair. Nic then let go and the two were side by side in the air.

'_**Where did that strength come from?**__' The Nightmare thought. _"**We can't lose! Tartaros will prevail! We'll climb to the top and destroy you in the name of Lord Zeref!**" It yelled furiously as it wasn't able to move from such a devastating attack.

Nic's eyes lit up as his body was surrounded in a crimson aura. He raised his arms in conjunction with Greninja. Greninja was getting ready to do a Water Pulse as the aura around Nic's forearms was getting even thicker. As soon as Nic touched the Water Pulse, it was encased in this crimson aura. The two were falling at the same time, ready to unleash a brutal and final attack on this beast.

"Listen up! We won't let you destroy those who've suffered enough!" Nic proclaimed. "I don't give a damn about this Lord Zeref! You'll never triumph us as long as we protect those who we hold dear to us!"

The monster gritted its teeth as it couldn't move.

"Take this collaboration attack!" Nic shouted.

"**Night Daze!**"

"**Water Pulse!**"

Nic's left arm and Greninja's right arm came down on the monster's chest, sending a massive fusion of water and a pink and crimson forcefield throughout the area. The blast wave expanded as the monster roared in agony. The combo attack surged and there was a massive light that shined.

Once the attack had ceased, Nic and Greninja reared back as they saw the light take the spot of The Nightmare. The light shot upwards and it became a tower of light. At the pinnacle of the light tower, Nic and Greninja both saw that that the light was raining down light meteors, much like a mountain.

Nic couldn't think of what is going on, but the two saw the blobs of light raining down and touch the ground. They all then took the shapes of people one by one. When the lights faded, they showed they were actual people. Nic gawked at this as did Greninja.

"What in the name of sweet tomato sauce is going on here?" He asked.

"Not certain, but if I guessed right, I'd say the lives that were fed to The Nightmare are being revived." Greninja said. Nic took it and saw the people looking at themselves in disbelief. They couldn't believe that they were alive. All roughly five hundred or so. The light tower diminished, leaving the three wizards from before in a crater. Nic walked over towards them. They were all unconscious, but alive.

Nic looked around and saw that the people were looking at him and Greninja. They were finished reminding themselves that they were living once more. They all then went over and clapped in praise for the two heroes. Everyone shouted in congrats and sincere thanks for restoring their lives. They all hip-hip-hoorayed Nic and Greninja and such. It was such a great time.

Eventually, the townspeople came back into town, seeing all of the people return, they all looked as though they were seeing ghosts. Many people began crying on the spot. Some children had immediately ran up to their siblings or parents of whom they have thought they've lost.

"Papa!" "Mommy!" "Dad!" "Honey!" Everyone was in a deep hug as they clenched onto their once lost family members and never sought to let go. Among the group of people rejoicing, Edmund, Jane, Dale, and Hiro found the one person they've missed so much. Christina stumbled about, trying to figure out where her family was. Jane ran up and threw herself onto her mother. She didn't dare to let go. Edmund clung onto his mother as well. They didn't dare to let go. They couldn't believe it, everyone who was a sacrifice was now alive and well, but Christina didn't care because she was with her beloved family again.

Hiro wrapped his arms around his wife and kids and dog. The small family sobbed in relief that they were in each other's arms again. The tears just kept on coming.

"Mommy, we've missed you so much." Jane spoke softly.

"Shhh, it's alright now. I'm back." Christina said, soothing them all. It was the longest time before they've separated from the hug.

"Sweetheart, I'm so glad you're alive!" Hiro said, overjoyed to have the love of his life back. "But…how?" he continued in curiosity. He was indeed overjoyed, but this question raised through every mind of the people who fled the battle area.

She looked over towards Nic and Greninja. Nic reverted back to himself and grinned at the sight of everyone rejoicing with one another. "Nic and his friend right there saved us. They defeated the horrid demon that was using us to fuel its power." She said. "We weren't really dead, but we were release as soon as the creature was defeated."

Every single citizen then looked and stared right at the two. They were the complete center of attention. The two heroes looked on awkwardly as the staring continued. Edmund and Jane immediately ran up to them both and hugged them. Jane hugged Nic while Edmund hugged Greninja, the two were happy to see the two kids smile. Dale was running about, overjoyed in satisfaction.

"Thank you." Jane said repeatedly.

Hiro and Christina held hands and walked towards Nic and Greninja. The two kids pulled away and returned back to their parents' sides.

Hiro and everyone else smiled. "Nic and friend, we can't even begin to thank you for all that you've done for our beloved village. You have no idea how much gratitude we express to you. The entire city of Freesia can't thank you enough for your heroic actions. We will forever be grateful to you. Thank you for everything!"

Hiro and Christina then bowed to Nic and his ninja frog pal. In a few moments, the entire population did the same, which made the two feel embarrassed.

"Please, you don't have to do this." Nic reasoned. "It was my job to help you in the first place." He's never felt so praised in his life. Greninja certainly felt embarrassed as well. They both looked at each other and smiled widely.

Everyone clapped their hands in honor of their hero and his accomplice. "On honor of your bravery, I say a celebration is in order!" The townspeople cheered as they all threw Nic and Greninja into the air.

* * *

><p><strong>That night…<strong>

The party lasted the entire night, and it didn't stop until morning arose. The spirits were high as people celebrated their rejoiced family and freedom from the awful nightmare. The families enjoyed each other's reunion and now no one had to worry about those three wizards ever again.

The three wizards were tied up with rope around their hands and the Royal Army had come to arrest them. There was no escape once you're in this anti-magic cuffs. The three Tartaros members grunted as they were arrested. Nic just watched as they were taken away. He didn't regret laying the hurt on them, but didn't show any sign of glee as they were taken away. He was still occupied with the thought of Tartaros rising. What if it really did happen?

The party disregarded the damages that Nic and Greninja dished out. There was games, laughter, music, and a whole ton of food. We're talking edible deliciousness on a whole new level. Everyone has never felt so happy in ages.

Nic, with Greninja involved, was/were the star(s) of the show. Everyone wanted to talk with them. They were pushed and dragged to so many tables that it made the two dizzy. They couldn't even sit down to have a bite of something to eat before a fan yanked them somewhere. They all wanted to thank them for their valiant efforts and wanted to talk with him to get to know their heroes more. They would spend at most five minutes at a table before they were dragged to another.

At one point during the night, Nic had send out Kecleon as well. The people marveled at his other accomplice as well. He explained to everyone that she helped him in his daring job as well, of which the citizens happily accepted. Kecleon was feeling much better than it was earlier, now fully recovered and well rested to play around the entire night.

Around noon, the party began to dwindle down and it was now time for Nic to depart. Greninja and Kecleon both by his side as he looked back and faced the entire down that stood before him.

"Nic, take this." Hiro said, handing him what looked like a check. "You've earned it."

Nic took one glance at the check and his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. The reward had risen to fifteen million jewels.

"Holy freakin protozoa!" Nic exclaimed. "That's a lot of zeroes!"

"Didn't you remember that the job was S-Class?" Hiro reminded him.

Nic looked on dumbfounded. "Oh, right. But are you sure about this? I can settle with the previous reward. You guys being happy is rewarding enough."

Hiro shook his head. "We insist. It's the least we can give you for all that you've done for us. No matter what, you'll always welcome here anytime."

Nic nodded, as did Greninja and Kecleon.

"We're sorry for how we were before." Edmund and Jane said. "We were wrong about you. And we couldn't thank you for how much you've done for us."

Nic grinned down at the two. "Don't mention it. I'm glad that you're united with your mother again." The kids walked up and they hugged him. The dog came up and licked Nic in the face, which tickled. His pokémon looked on as they were mighty proud of themselves for having such a great trainer and family.

"When I grow up, I'm gonna be just as brave as you!" Edmund proclaimed. Dale barked in affirmation. Nic smiled down on the newly courageous person.

"That's a great path to take. Never give up, no matter what and you'll succeed." Nic stated.

"You mean it?" Edmund asked, to which Nic nodded.

Nic waved farewell to all of Freesia as he and his pokémon began walking down the road. They all waved and shouted goodbye and told him to be back soon. Nic told them that he would come visit them soon if we wasn't too busy, and he would never break such a promise. Freesia feels like a type of place Nic likes now. First Fairy Tail, and now Freesia. Nic was feeling at home in all of the right places.

* * *

><p><strong>On the road…<strong>

On their way back to Magnolia, Nic had turned towards Greninja and Kecleon, who were feeling just as good as he was.

"Hey guys." Nic said. "Thank you."

Greninja looked on and smirked. "No probs. We're there for you thick and thin."

"Yeah. We're PB and J with indestructible crust!" Kecleon said, using the most weirdest analogies you could've imagined, all of which had no relevance. "We're duck, duck and goose. We're green eggs and ham. We're Ed, Edd n Eddy!" (Hehe, because I felt like saying that.)

With all of those freaky similes out of the way, Nic returned them to their poke balls and he had decided to take the way he got to Freesia – through trees. He climbed the branches and raced back towards Fairy Tail, awaiting for the next adventure to come across him.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry that this chapter was insanely long. Normally, my chapters range around 10K-12K, but I was too caught up in the fight scenes that I was making. This chapter was close to 14K!<strong>

**The Dread Plate felt necessary because of the events that were going on in regards to the situation Nic was in. Yes, I made up The Nightmare, because I had to make some sort of demon. The Dread Plate versus The Nightmare felt reasonable to me that way.**

**About Bounce. Yes, I'm aware that Froakie and Frogadier can learn Bounce and not Greninja, but let's just say that Greninja learned Bounce as a Frogadier.**

**Don't expect any updates for a little while. I'm planning on starting up another story and finish up another one I'm doing for a friend. I'll work on the other story for a little bit and come back to this one and **_**maybe**_** alternate after every chapter. **

**Let me know what you think of this story so far and what you're opinions are on the characters. Let me know if you wanna see more of something or someone in any way.**

**Favorite, Follow, & Review my story and/or chapter. **_**Review!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time: Two Dragons and a Nic<strong>


	7. Two Dragons and a Nic

Chapter 7 – Two Dragons and a Nic

**Hey guys, sorry for the holdup. So I finally finished my story that I did for a friend and I got my second story all set up. Feel free to check that out. It's just another crossover, and if you like that story, feel free to Favorite, Follow, and Review that story as well.**

**Now that I have gotten those priorities accomplished, I can press on with another chapter. Remember, I might be alternating between this story and my new one, but this is the last time I'm telling you guys.**

**Alpha Dragonis: I think I get what you're saying, but you need to take into account participation. I'm not ready to reveal said Dragon Type yet (**_**SPOILER)**_**, but you'll see why this chapter is called that.**

**Now comes the Phantom Lord Arc, Nic will participate, to an extent, in this arc. I won't say how, but you'll have to read for yourselves.**

**To Recap:**

Nic and Kecleon proceeded with their plan and ambushed the Dark Guild, Tartaros. Nic and Kecleon managed to take down Rune and Rosa, and just as they were about to finish off Conjore, Kecleon broke the spear, creating a tremendous explosion of negative energy. When morning had risen, Nic and Kecleon found the Dread Plate, and then fell back asleep afterwards, leading up to almost midnight. Nic proceeded back to Freesia and came across The Nightmare, a demon that was fused with the three Dark Guild members. Nic and Greninja teamed up, with Nic trying out his new Dread Plate form, and the two defeated the demon. They, as well as Kecleon, were declared heroes, as well as the return of every citizen that was used as a sacrifice. Nic and the others partied all night and then left the next day, awaiting to return to Fairy Tail.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7 – Two Dragons and a Nic<strong>

The following morning came, and Nic was finally back in Magnolia. He was glad to be back again after that long and rather painful experience, but it was so worth it. That accidental S-Class job made him value his new friends and he couldn't wait to get back to Fairy Tail to see them again, especially a certain red haired Requip Mage. He was feeling very optimistic, but who could blame him. He got the Dread Plate, and might be able to unlock another one if he keeps this up.

As Nic was making his way towards the Guild Hall, people were staring at him. Their eyes somewhat widened and they started talking quietly towards one another.

"Isn't he from Fairy Tail?" "I feel pretty bad for him." "What's gonna become of him?" All of these people were acting as though they should be taking pity on Nic for something he wasn't aware of. He was curious as to what the people were talking about.

It wasn't until he looked up ahead and saw that the guild was misshapen somehow. It looked as though it had some rods, very large rods, sticking out all over.

"What the…?" Nic wasn't sure as to how the guild looked like that, but he took it as a bad omen.

Before he knew what he was doing, Nic saw that he was now running straight ahead towards Fairy Tail. He got there in record time and came to a disturbing halt.

The guild that was towering above him was damaged and destroyed. There were a multitude of enormous iron pillars protruding through the roof and sides of the building. It was like a Ferroseed with a surplus of barbs all over its body. Nic gawked at this rather haunting image.

"HOLY FREAKIN PROTOZOA!" Nic shouted, panicking at the shattered site. He gulped and slowly made his way inside, trying to avoid the damaged furniture laying all about.

* * *

><p><strong>In the basement…<strong>

Natsu was clenching his fists and looked as though he was about to break someone's face. Erza, Lucy, Gray, and Happy were doing their best to keep him from rampaging into Phantom Lord's guild and trash it up as well. Master Makarov told him that it would do no good, as conflicts were forbidden between guilds. Erza was just as steamed as Natsu, but she had to obey what the Master has decided, much to her dismay.

The guild members were hiding out in the guild's basement, with nothing to feel but melancholy and dejection plastered onto their faces. The members had to resort to using this storage space until the upstairs is repaired.

Erza and crew had just arrived back roughly three hours before Nic. They had just got back from their Galuna Island S-Class request and they were appalled by the site of their guild demolished. Mira had already explained to them that Phantom Lord came in the midst of night and trashed the place with iron pillars all about.

"Natsu, calm down already!" Erza ordered the Dragon Slayer, who still failed to compromise. "If Master ordered us not to act, then we must do as he says."

Natsu struggling was beginning to dwindle, but nevertheless was still wanting to get payback. "Let me go!" Natsu shouted, with Gray restraining him. "I'm gonna give those Phantom jerks a piece of my mind!"

"Just drop it Natsu!" Gray said. "We all want payback just as much as you do, but we'll get in trouble if those Phantom Lord jerks come back again."

"Natsu, you've got to stop. This isn't helping the situation." Lucy said.

Eventually, Natsu simmered down into mere grumbles and groans and sat on a storage box that was close to him. The other four were heading into and sat down in a lookalike of the bar, where Mira was making food.

"This is truly horrible." Mira said in a depressed way. "We didn't do anything to them, why would they do such a thing?"

"It can't be helped. If we get caught up in a back and forth war between us and Phantom, there will be war, and we cannot allow that." Erza said, looking down at the table.

Others nodded in agreement from other tables, but some just drank their problems away, not to mention Cana drinking away and sighing after every finished glass.

They all soon heard a pair of footsteps upstairs. Erza and the others were tensing up and preparing to strike upon the second they show their faces. It was a good assumption to believe that it was Phantom Lord, but they couldn't be for certain. The footsteps were drawing ever so closer, and the guild was on the verge of a panic. As a safety measure, Erza summoned forth a sword and Natsu engulfed his right fist in fire. Gray was ready to summon forth ice upon the moment those Phantom bastards show there cowardly faces. The doors of the basement opened and they heard the footsteps approach. Little to them, it was still a pretty confused and somewhat terrified Nic.

He didn't even look at his footsteps, and he tripped and started falling down the stairs. The guild from below heard sounds of thumping and yelps going "OW" and "EEE" and "D'OH!" They dropped their guard in confusing, thinking how stupid are they to fall down two flights of stairs.

"OW! EEE! OWWW! D'OH! WHY?! AHH! EEE! OW-OOWW!" Nic was hollering as he tumble and crashed into a wall, bouncing off it and falling down the flight of stairs visible to the guild. They were relieved, yet looking in confusion as to how could he fall down two flights of stairs at a time like this.

Nic finally landed with a face plant on the hard floor, laying there for a few seconds before getting back up and groaning at his misfortune. Ignoring everything and everyone around him, Nic glared back at the stairs and pointed at them.

"Curse you stupid flight of stairs!" Nic berated the inanimate path leading up to the upstairs. "You've made a powerful enemy today!"

Once he'd calm down after a few seconds, he noticed that the entire guild was down there with him. He looked around and saw that everyone was staring at him. He noticed that they had frowns.

"So, I guess that I missed quite a bit." Nic said, trying to get back on track. "What happened?"

Nobody answered, but looked down at their mugs and went back to drinking. Not a single person could meet his eyes as the depression has arisen once more. Nic spotted Erza and the others and looked at them.

"Erza, what in the name of all things decent and good in the world happened here?" He asked Erza.

Erza cast her eyes in a downward motion. "It was Phantom Lord."

Nic's somewhat understanding of this situation now has shaken off his startled self and now he looked more serious. "If I may ask, what is Phantom Lord?"

"It's another guild, just like us." Mira pointed out. "Only we're not on the best terms with them. They rival us."

Nic's eyes widened. "You mean that they're another Dark Guild?" He assumed.

Mira shook her head. "No, Phantom Lord is an official guild just like us. For a few years now, Phantom and Fairy Tail have been competing for the top guild. They just came out of nowhere and attacked the Guild Hall when no one was around. Everyone was shocked to see the guild in ruins. We had to salvage what we could manage and take it to the basement. Master didn't allow us to retaliate, for it would only make things worse. For now, we're operating down here until we can get the upstairs fixed."

Nic nodded, but couldn't help but be concerned. "Was anyone injured?"

"No. Everyone was in one piece." She replied.

Nic sighed in relief, thinking that if someone was hurt, could mean the apocalypse for Phantom Lord. If there's one thing everyone in the entire could should be aware of, it's to never EVER infuriate Nic. He's scarier than Erza, an angry Natsu, and Lucy when it came to her rent, put together and multiplied by 700 billion. They all remembered what happened to Gray the last time Nic was angry.

Makarov came out of the bathroom, looking less intoxicated from the alcohol we consumed earlier. Even so, the booze wasn't enough to hide his worries as well. He was angry at the fact Phantom Lord could pull off such a cowardly act. The only thing that's keeping Makarov from storming off was the fact no one was hurt.

He spotted Nic and waltzed up to him to greet him. "It's good to see you Nic. The job was successful I take it?"

Nic crossed his arms and looked down at the Master. "Yeah…but there were some issues." Nic noted.

"How so?" Makarov asked. Everyone was in on how Nic could've had such trouble completing a task.

Since this was a guild, this was everyone's business. He couldn't hide it from them forever, better now than never.

Nic told that when he'd arrived, Hiro said the job had an increase in the reward and was an S-Class request, to which Natsu jumped at. He told how he came across this guild known as Tartaros and how the three members were trying to resurrect Lord Zeref. Nic also told as to how he and his Pokémon stopped a demon known as The Nightmare. Nevertheless, they still won and he finished the job.

The entire guild was almost shaking at Nic's story. He took on three members of the most elusive guild in the Baram Alliance. Makarov raised a brow when Nic told the events. This got him worried. If Tartaros was making its move, then Oracion Seis and Grimoire Heart can't be too far behind. This had disaster written all over it.

"I'll have to talk with the Council again soon." Makarov said. "If what you said is true, then we have to be prepared for what's to come. I'm going to have to make the Council make a move before they do. Right now, we have our own problems to deal with. These troubles just keep piling up on one another. Of all the times to get this news, this just goes to show how rotten our luck is."

The two shared a chuckle that was rather grim.

"Better safe than sorry." Nic said. "At least we were lucky enough to be unharmed. You've made the right choice by not responding. War is never the right answer. War creates only more war."

Makarov could feel Nic's passion for his decision. Makarov could see that Nic has been through a lot. Not just from being in Fairy Tail, but from his past experience in Kalos. He could sense the frustration, the joy, the tranquility, the seriousness, everything about Nic. Nic's wisdom was well beyond what he could've imagined. He wasn't exactly sure as to what Nic had been through, but it did lead to Nic having the experience to handle such situations as did Makarov.

"I agree with you there." Makarov said. He managed a small smile and then slowly progressed into a small frown again. "One of my children may have been attacked, but I can't be helped if that happens again." Nic knew he was referring to him and his confrontation with Tartaros.

Nic nodded. "I'll do what I can to save Fairy Tail as well."

With that aside, everyone let out smirks as to how bold Nic was to declare Fairy Tail such a meaningful place to him. It wasn't long after that Natsu broke it all up by walking up by being angry.

"Hey, that's no fair! How come he got to go on an S-Class request?!" Natsu demanded.

"Why's it matter?" Nic said, turning back nonchalant.

Natsu and the others then explained what they went through while Nic was on his job request. They told of how Happy stole the S-Class request and how everyone else had gotten involved. They told of a curse and how they completed their task and Lucy had gotten a new Zodiac Key. When the tale ended, Nic raised a brow.

"Geez. Natsu and Happy, I have to say. You two are indeed S-Class…S-Class dunderheads!" Nic berated them. "It's fine that you guys accomplished the request, but it was above and beyond stupid for the two of you to do such a thing. We need a new scale to measure your guys' stupidity. Honestly!" Nic couldn't imagine him getting caught up in something like that; well, probably. If people were in trouble, he wouldn't run away from them, so I guess Natsu and the others were lucky this time.

"Oh, come on Nic!" Natsu replied. "You could've just come along and helped us, but you had to go on your own S-Class job! So you're as guilty as us!"

"Listen flame brain! Unlike you, my job turned into S-Class without any notification, so my job was S-Class by coincidence, not because I wanted to get acknowledged!" Nic counter argued.

Natsu turned and pouted, seeing how Nic wasn't in trouble but he was. He just had to take his frustration on something, and then he started stomping about and was prepared to storm off to Phantom Lord. The others had to calm him down

"I can't take this sitting around! I have to do something!" Natsu almost began breathing fire.

"Just shut it you idiot!" Gray said. "We've had enough of your crap!"

"Enough Natsu!" Makarov berated. Everyone turned towards him.

"But Gramps-." Natsu was cut off by a silencing hand with a distasteful look on Makarov's face.

"This matter shall be disposed of. End of discussion!" Makarov then walked and took his place on top of the bar.

Natsu hated all of this. Sitting around wasn't his best strong suite. He gritted his teeth and looked at the floor.

"I know that this is unbearable and you want to settle the matter, but it's best left alone." Nic said with a much more calm tone than when he was arguing with Natsu. "The Fairy Tail Guild Hall may be demolished, but that doesn't mean Fairy Tail itself is tarnished. Look around you. These people are Fairy Tail itself, we're all alive, and that means Fairy Tail is alive as well."

Erza grinned and she could see that almost everyone had been listening to Nic and they felt their spirits lighten up slightly.

Natsu nodded in understanding.

Some time has passed and Nic was sitting next to Erza, who stared at him often. She was amazed as to how Nic was just as influencing as Master, and everyone's spirits were lifted in a matter of seconds. The guild was back to its old self, with the loud and boisterous going about, though somewhat dialed down a bit. Natsu and Gray were bickering again, as to where Lucy sighed over her friend's actions. Happy was idly munching down on some fish, Mira was rushing from table to table, getting drinks to every person she could. Macao and Wakaba were telling jokes again and Romeo was running about. Cana was still drunk and she laughed all about, though no one was surprised.

"How did you do it?" Erza asked.

"Did what?" Nic asked, looking confused.

"You scare people, yet you make them feel assured. You must have a way with them." The red haired Mage said.

"Well, I wouldn't say that." Nic said, looking down at table and drifting off into another one of his "rock out moods" with earbuds in and low volume to hear Erza. "All I do know is that you have to put the past behind you and pick yourself up."

Erza nodded and the two sat in comfortable silence. Nic was now officially in his "rock out mood", with his head bobbing up and down as he was listening to his music.

* * *

><p><strong>That night…<strong>

The sun had set and everyone had headed home. The odds were that some Phantom Lord members were still running about and the guild needed to make safety measures by traveling in groups. Erza and the others were heading off to Lucy's place (without her consent), and Erza wondered where Nic was. She was aware that Nic always slept in the guild, but his place was trashed. Since Nic wasn't around, Erza had no choice but to leave the matter alone and have Natsu, Happy, and Gray all go to Lucy's. The other guild members left that night, heading off towards their own respective homes.

Lucy had just gotten out of the bath she was in, cloaked in a towel. She had opened the door and Erza was looking so relaxed in her towel as well. Natsu was dozing off on the table, Gray was reading something, and Happy was still munching on some fish. It wasn't long until Erza requiped into her pajamas.

Her pajamas were a light purple with red crosses all over. Lucy was stunned to see how Era changes her clothes.

Lucy then sat down in a chair next to Natsu and began the discussion.

"So, do you have any idea why Phantom attacked us out of the blue like that?" Lucy asked, turning to Erza.

"No." Erza said. "It's true we were never on good terms with those guys in the past, but we've never resorted to violence on this scale before."

Natsu looked up at them with a pout on his face. "If gramps wasn't so sacred of them, we could've wiped them all out easily." He muttered.

"Since when have you been awake?" Lucy asked, but went unanswered.

"C'mon Natsu." Gray said. "Master isn't scared, he's one of the Ten Wizard Saints." Lucy then noticed that Gray was reading her story that she was making, she snatched it away from him and he wanted to know what happened next. Erza was curious to, but Lucy denied it.

"Well, I want to know what these Ten Wizard Saints are." Lucy asked, trying to change the subject.

"It's an honor bestowed by the Magic Council. It's a title given to the ten most powerful wizards on the continent." Erza explained.

"Phantom Lord's Master Jose is one of them to." Happy noted. It was all stopped when Natsu got up and slammed his hand on the table.

"Master _is_ scared! He's afraid Phantom's got too many members for us to handle!" Natsu argued.

"That's not even close to being true." Gray said. "You heard Mira and Master, the consequences of a war with Phantom isn't worth putting up the fight."

"We could take them easily." Natsu noted.

"No." Erza said. "The odds are that neither guild would survive. Their strength levels ours. Jose is the Master of Phantom Lord, and is very well known to be another member of the Ten Wizard Saints, meaning he's on par with Makarov. They also have their own S-Class wizards known as the Element Four. However, their biggest threat may be Black Steel Gajeel. I believe he's responsible for the Guild Hall's destruction. He's known as the Iron Dragon Slayer."

This news shocked and scared Lucy. "He's Dragon Slayer too?!" Lucy exclaimed. "I thought Natsu was the only one?!" Natsu just rolled his eyes and looked away. "So, if he's an Iron Dragon Slayer, does that mean he eats iron?"

"Yes, he does." Erza said.

They were still concerned as to what might happen, but the matter had to be left alone for the time being. They all drifted off to sleep, with Lucy in bed and the others sleeping either in chairs or on couches.

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere…<strong>

Since Nic couldn't sleep in the Guild Hall due to its destruction, he had to resort to other means. He's been so used to sleeping on tables and rooftops and floors these past few years, that beds feel foreign to him. His body has adapted to hard surfaces such as the tables he sleeps on when in the guild, or _was_ in.

Nic was laying up against a rooftop, staring off into the view of town. He scanned the town and didn't see anything, yet felt an uneasy presence. When the sun had set awhile ago, he could feel a dense sense flowing in the air.

'_What is this strange presence?' _Nic thought. _'It's feels cold and dark. It must be because of those Phantom-!' _He looked and saw something move about a few streets down. It was a shadowy figure that made him narrow his eyes. It had to be a Phantom Lord member. With the skills he acquired from tree jumping, and the stealth of his Kecleon, he leaped and remained quiet while closing in on his target.

* * *

><p><strong>Not too far away…<strong>

Team Shadow Gear, consisted of Levy, Jet, and Droy, were slowly making their way through Magnolia. It was late and the streets were deserted. Jet and Droy were concerned as to if it was such as good idea to be out at this time.

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" Jet asked. "Shouldn't you be back in the girl dorms?"

Levy was keeping high spirits. "Oh come on, it's fine. And besides, I wouldn't wanna split up my team in times like this." Levy assured them. To which the guys had hearts in their eyes.

"Don't worry Levy, I'll make sure our team will be safe tonight!" Jet said.

"No, I will!" Droy said, arguing with Jet.

"No, I will!" Jet said. It was a constant war between them, and something was bound to break them up.

And it happened.

They felt something lung at them from an upward angle. Team Shadow Gear only had enough time to whirl around before the figure batted them to the ground. The three went down with a thud and got back up to see a long spiky black hair man with piercings all over. He had red eyes and a feral grin. He looked at them like they were a bunch of toys that he was itching to break.

"W-Who are you?" Droy demanded. He and Jet stepped in front of Levy to supply protection.

The man chuckled. "That's funny. Standing so tall, yet so frail."

"I don't know who the heck you are, but you better-!" Droy was cut off with an iron column bashed into his abdomen and sent him soaring backwards and it wasn't even two seconds that Jet suffered the same. The two tumbled and crashed into the pavement and laid there in disastrous fashion. The two had suffered a lot of damage from those two blows.

"Jet! Droy!" Levy cried. She rushed over to their aid, seeing them unconscious, with a few ribs broken. That was alright, it could've been much worse.

The man chuckled and Levy looked back at him in anger.

"Man, that felt good." He said, walking up to them. "You Fairy Tail weaklings couldn't even hold a candle to me!"

"You!" Levy shouted, turning her full body towards the assailant. "Why are you doing this?"

The assailant bared his feral smirk and chuckled. "Destroying your guild wasn't enough for me, so I figured I might bash some heads to meet my standards."

Levy was wide eyed at this implication. "Wait…you mean…that you're…"

"Yeah, that's right. I trashed your Guild Hall. Gajeel Redfox, the Iron Dragon Slayer!"

Levy froze in horror. She stepped back as she was clearly outmatched and had no chance at beating him. She might have the advantage if it came to intelligence, but this wasn't the case. If Erza, Natsu, or Gray were there, they could've helped her, but that wasn't the case. She wanted to scream for help, but was too afraid as to what Gajeel might do.

Gajeel made no haste in making another iron column and ramming into Levy. She flinched and yelped. She waited for the attack to connect, unable to move. She looked away, not wanting to see the attack coming. In a matter of seconds, she'll end up just like her teammates.

She heard a body clench the column. She heard the sound of an impact, but it wasn't her that was hit. She slowly opened her eyes and looked ahead. She gasped.

"Nic!" Levy cried.

Nic appeared just in time. He made it just as Gajeel announced he was the one responsible for the Guild Hall's destruction. Nic jumped once Gajeel was gonna hit Levy.

"Are you alright Levy?" Nic struggled to say, clenching the column. He had his arms extended outward, holding the iron club that was intended for her. Nic's grip was tightening as his eyes were looking more feral than when he'd found out Gajeel destroyed the guild. Nic was starting to push back the club, and it eventually retracted back into an arm.

"Heh, I gotta hand it to ya pal. Not many people can take my Iron Dragon's Club like you did." Gajeel praised. "Whatever. More trash for me to smash." Gajeel smirked.

Nic glared at him with the same level of dread that he showed to Siegrain awhile back. The Guild Hall trashed, and Fairy Tail was being threatened by this maniac. Nic was just as mad as he was when Erza was threatened. He bared his teeth and snarled. This scared Levy. This wasn't as bad as to when Gray stepped on his phone, but this level of anger was enough to shudder and fall to the ground onto her knees.

"So, you're the numbskull that destroyed our Guild Hall and attack my friends." Nic growled. "When I'm through with you metalhead, you'll be sorry that I've dented your entire body!"

Levy was frightened by the feral tone Nic was using. Even Gajeel could sense the animosity rising from him. His smirk turned into a serious frown at his words.

Nic talked to Levy while still glaring at Gajeel, though his tone was normal. "Levy. Take your teammates to the closest guild member's house. Help them aid, and call for back-up." Nic then brought forth a poke ball and summoned forth his Greninja. Greninja appeared right by Nic's side. "Take Levy's friends and get them to safety." He ordered his pokémon.

Greninja then picked up the two injured members with its arms and Levy tried to give support by putting an arm on one her teammate's sides to give Greninja some ease.

"What about you?" Levy asked in concerns for Nic.

"Nic's got this covered." Greninja assured her. "If there's one thing that can conquer anything, it's an angry Nic. Besides, Nic wouldn't want you or your comrades getting anymore beaten up than you already have."

Levy hesitated and looked back at Nic, who cracked his knuckles, as did Gajeel. She didn't like it, but she turned and ran around the corner with Greninja aiding in support.

When they disappeared around the corner, Nic felt much more assured now that no one was around. His attention was now on Gajeel. Despite the attitude he was giving, he smirked.

"What are you so happy about?" Gajeel demanded.

"I was just thinking would you will look with those piercings plunged into your face." Nic mocked. "You're going to wish that you've never messed with Fairy Tail."

The two now got into their serious fighting stances and it was on.

* * *

><p><strong>With Levy<strong>

"How much farther Levy?" Greninja asked, carrying an unconscious Droy and supporting Jet with Levy doing the same. They were moving as fast as they could.

"Not too far now!" Levy replied. As fast as she was moving, her pace wasn't equivalent to Greninja's. Greninja was almost dragging them with Levy in the back. Greninja was even holding back and still was a too fast for her. Levy wasn't exactly up to par when it came to physical challenges, and this was no exception.

Levy was helpless in defending her teammates when they were attacked back there. She'd just stood by while Jet and Droy took a beating. The image of those two shielding her with absolute zero hesitation was constantly startling her. If it weren't for Nic, she wouldn't be standing.

"Levy!" Greninja was trying to get her attention, and it worked. She snapped out of her trance and looked up at Greninja.

Greninja could easily tell that she wasn't in any condition to keep going. He'd slowed down and took the rest of Jet. Now, he was holding both Jet and Droy over his shoulders. Levy watched as Greninja carried the two with ease. Much like a ninja, he swiftly picked up the pace. Levy felt a little more at ease now, but still felt useless.

"Levy, it's going to be just fine." Greninja assured her. "Once we get to Mira and Elfman's place, try and contact Master Makarov and get back-up."

"But-." Levy was cut off by Greninja.

"We need to tell him about the situation. We need serious medical attention for these two. He can take them to his healer you guys were talking about a few times. Mira will look over them while Elfman and I rally up the troops. We'll then go and help Nic if he's stalling Gajeel long enough for back-up to arrive…although, I doubt back-up will be any help."

Levy was somewhat startled by what Greninja was saying. "What do you mean?"

"I'm saying Nic and the other pokémon got it covered, but back-up will come as an added measure."

Any chance of an argument died inside Levy. Greninja spoke with the upmost confidence in Nic and the authority passed down from him, leaving no room for doubt.

They tried to pick up their pace even more until they were almost sprinting.

* * *

><p><strong>With Nic<strong>

They've been brawling for a good two or three minutes now, with Nic transforming into his Zap Plate Form. The two fierce Mages were constantly trying to bash the other. Gajeel was trying to bash Nic with his Iron Dragon's Club, and Nic could easily dodge. Nic countered with a few Charge Beams and a few Thunderbolts. Since Gajeel was iron, the electric attacks were more accurate than normal. Gajeel could barely dodge until he was finally hit with a single Thunderbolt, much like a conductor.

He winced in a little pain, but other than that little jolt that seemingly only made him all warmed up, he was fine.

"Not bad punk. You're a tough nut to crack, I'll admit." Gajeel grudgingly said. "Now hold still so I can impale you!" He, once again, unleashed an Iron Dragon's Club. His right arm morphed into an iron column and he tried hitting Nic. He easily dodged by side stepping and then used Spark and grabbed hold of the column, with the electricity tracing back to Gajeel. He flinched in pain, but still felt just fine. He quickly retracted the column and it morphed back into his arm.

Gajeel jumped into the air and his right arm morphed into a spear this time. "**Iron Dragon's Spear!**" His spear arm stretched out and it almost made contact with Nic if it weren't for him leaning to his left. He leaped to his left as he saw the spear retract back to Gajeel.

"You're going to have to be faster than that if you wanna touch me iron for brains." Nic said. He took a glance back at the crater left by the spear and took note of what power that one attack dealt. At this point, neither side had been going all out. The two had different reasons for doing so. Nic wasn't going all out because this was in the middle of a street, where civilians lived. As to where Gajeel was simply testing Nic's potential, thinking if he would be a challenge or not. At this point, Gajeel considered Nic took be worthy enough to smash repeatedly with no mercy. The other three wouldn't be as fun to smash, as to where Nic was actually putting up a decent fight.

Nic shifted into his Dread Plate Form and engaged Gajeel in close range fighting. Nic ran up to the Iron Dragon Slayer and prepared to attack.

"**Iron Dragon's Spear!**" He was about hit Nic, but he disappeared al of a sudden, which shocked Gajeel. He stepped back and saw Nic reappear in front of him and deliver a punch to the face, making him stumble back into a flower cart. Now he smelled as fresh as a daisy.

"Eh, not how I wanted Feint Attack to play out, but I'll take it I guess." Nic shrugged. Gajeel got up and grumbled and growled as to how Nic humiliated him. His two arms became two clubs that Nic saw coming at him. He put his arms up and took the attack. His arms were feeling a lot of pain.

'_So, this is what it's like being hit by a Steel-Type' _Nic thought, using Gajeel as a simile to Steel-Type Pokémon. _'If he's a Dragon Slayer like Natsu, then that must mean he eats iron. Oh thank god I don't have the Iron Plate on me! Otherwise I'd be a buffet to him. I might as well say: "Eat me so that you can rearrange by face!".'_ Nic stumbled back as the clubs morphed back into arms. _'Maybe if I were to go back to using the Zap Plate again or shift to the Flame Plate, I'll manage to corner him.'_ He didn't get anymore room to think when Gajeel leaped forward and gave Nic a serious punch, to which he had to use Night Slash to intercept. Nic and Gajeel were even, until Nic was overpowered and stumbled back a step before getting a kick to the chin that send him soaring. He straightened out and landed unharmed. He wiped his chin and grunted.

"Not bad. You're a challenge, that's for sure, but you'll still be as easy to smash as was your precious Guild Hall!" Gajeel said. Nic growled and clenched his fists.

He was starting to get an idea of who Gajeel was. He was a hot-headed and wild ruffian who enjoys bashing other things out of their misery. Nic could see the maniac side of him from within his eyes. Gajeel wouldn't hesitate to rough up a few homes, and the thought of innocent people getting hurt only made Nic grow more feral from what he had been through.

Nic recalled the innocent victims of Freesia and how helpless they were. They were crying, sobbing, and he didn't want to go through seeing that again. The thought of Gajeel doing that made him snap.

"You." Nic growled in a very feral manner. "You won't ever harm another soul here!" This side of Nic was starting to freak Gajeel out.

'_What's with this guy? One second, he's calm. The next thing you know, he's a caged demon.'_ Gajeel thought. It wasn't even a second that Nic landed a Sucker Punch that forced Gajeel back several feet down the street, with Nic holding onto Gajeel by keeping up with the single punch. He thrust once more and Gajeel stepped back, seeing that Nic pushed him back at least forty feet down the street. Gajeel quickly rebound with an Iron Dragon's Club, of which Nic caught with one hand and brushed it aside with little difficulty. His anger was still up there, which kept his strength up, but it wouldn't be long before he cooled down.

"**Knock Off!**" One of Nic's arms was surrounded in black sparks and he ran up to Gajeel and slammed his fist in a downward motion. Gajeel intercepted by turning his arm into a sword and swatting him away. Nic quickly straightened out in the air and gripped onto a piece of wood as an outward look on a house and swung and was now on top of a roof.

"Try and pierce me while moving!" Nic shouted as he was leaping from roof to roof all the way to the forest just outside of Magnolia.

"Get back here and fight you spineless weakling!" Gajeel yelled. His two legs turned into iron polls and he shot himself upwards. He landed with a loud thud on top of a rooftop and began chasing Nic. Nic looked back and smirked, showing he was intending on Gajeel to follow.

Gajeel wasn't one to chicken out, so he followed anyway. This was Nic's plan; if they can get them into the woods, then they'll be able to cut lose.

"Hah! Fairy Tail has such weak creatures!" Gajeel shouted. "You're nothing compared to Phantom Lord!"

As much as Nic wanted to turn and go back and give Gajeel a beat down, he had to take into account the population. Gajeel had no right to talk trash after what he just did. If anyone was trash, it was him.

Finally, Nic had reached the forest and dropped to the floor and continued to run ahead. Gajeel pressed onwards and followed suit. Eventually, Nic was in sight.

"Payback time! **Iron Dragon's Club!**"

Nic was caught off guard as he turned to see a long column that morphed from his arm heading into Nic. The head of the column rammed his left calf and he yelped in pain. Nic leaped out of the way and felt his calf surge with weight felt less supported, and he groaned as he leaned against a tree for the support he needed.

"Dear lord!" Nic shouted in surprise. "It's so painful! Why is this a thing?!" He turned his head back and saw that the wound was rather deep and he saw it was a bruise. Nic almost paled at the sight of his bruise taking up the size of his calf and he felt lightheaded.

At least it wasn't blood.

Nic had to shift his weight over to his right leg to apply pressure on his limb.

He then heard heavy footsteps that was from Gajeel up ahead. He was only a few feet in front of him and he smirked.

"Now, where were we?" Gajeel said, cracking his knuckles.

Nic pushed of the tree and turned to face his opponent. He had to avoid using his leg as much as he could.

"I guess I'm on my last legs, literally." Nic said, trying to throw a few puns into the battle. Though this was a serious situation, he couldn't help but be punny. At least that got him focused on Gajeel and not the bruise. His face was less pale and he could feel the pain decreasing already. His calf hurt with every turn and step he made, but had to bare no less.

Gajeel groaned at the dry sense of humor. "Nice try kid. How about I beat some sense into you."

Nic gave a glare at Gajeel and got out another poke ball. Since Nic was in no shape to fight on his own now, he'll have to resort to using one of his pokémon for help.

"Let's go, Charizard!" Nic shouted. Charizard showed up right beside Nic and roared. Charizard looked at his opponent to see Gajeel rather perplexed.

"Hang on, that's not Salamander." Gajeel pointed out. Nic then thought back as to how Natsu was referred to as Salamander. In a way, it would be a mistake to accuse Charizard as Salamander. It would be taken as an insult if not a title.

"Sorry, but you're gonna face Charizard anyway." Nic said. Charizard turned to look down at Nic and saw that his calf was severely bruise. It was almost looking blue! Charizard turned back towards Gajeel and showed a death glare.

"Look pal, this can go two ways." Charizard growled. "Either you turn and run before I fry you, or we melt you on the spot!" He was threatening Gajeel for wounding Nic.

"Bring it lizard!" Gajeel said, smirking as he jumped and tried impaling Charizard with an Iron Dragon's Spear. Charizard didn't move as it intercepted with light blue claws.

"**Dragon Claw!**" Charizard yelled. He jabbed the spear with his light blue claws that surged with power and the pointed tip of the sword shattered and retracted. Gajeel grunted as his assault was nullified. He then noticed a fast flame incoming from Nic. He shifted into the Flame Plate when he wasn't looking. He unleashed the Flame Burst attack and it made a direct hit on Gajeel.

Then Gajeel found himself being blown away as the fire ball exploded upon impact. He slammed into a tree and before he could ready an attack, Charizard got him with another Dragon Claw. He gagged as the air was knocked out of him and Nic landed a Blaze Kick on his face.

Gajeel fell to the ground and got to a knee, not fully recovered from such a devastating consecutive attack. He inhaled a huge amount of air and clenched his abdomen where Charizard's Dragon Claw was more painful than he could've imagined. This was definitely a challenge for him. He hasn't felt this much pain in such a long time. These two were serious.

"That one was for Jet and Droy!" Nic shouted. "I'm not through with you yet!"

"And I'm just getting warmed up!" Charizard said.

Gajeel got back up and gazed at the two menacing figures. It was clear that they won't fall unless Gajeel falls first, but Nic was being supported by one of Charizard's wings. This could be a close one.

* * *

><p><strong>With Erza and the others<strong>

Lucy was fast asleep in her warm bed, as to where Gray and Natsu were sleeping with their heads down on the table. Happy was lying comfortably on a nearby cushion, and Erza was lying back on a nearby piece of furniture.

It was quiet and peaceful for them, though they had no idea what was going on. They were all sound asleep and it would take an explosion of sorts to wake them up.

There was loud banging on the door downstairs.

Erza immediately opened her eyes and lunge out of the room to the downstairs door. Lucy was feeling groggy and hesitated to get up. The knocking pressed on and she got out of bed and Gray soon followed.

Natsu yawned and woke up feeling drowsy. Happy did the same and the two made their way down in front of the door.

For a precaution, Erza requiped into her Heart Kreuz Armor with a sword at the ready. Gray was prepared to strike as well, but Lucy backed away, a little scared. Natsu and Happy trudged down the stairs, unaware of the situation.

"We're coming, we're coming." Natsu muttered. Happy was on his head and half asleep. Natsu finally came down the stairs and Erza opened the door.

They were all relieved to see that it was Elfman.

Erza put down her sword and Gray put his guard down.

"Uh, hey Elfman." Lucy said. "What are you doing at my place at this time of night?"

Erza narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, and why were you banging so hastily?"

A frown was on Elfman's face. "There's no time! Jet and Droy have been severely injured!"

Everyone's eyes shot wide open in dread and shock, even Natsu and Happy sprung up from this uprise.

"What?!" Natsu roared. "What happened? Tell me!"

Elfman's face grew grim. "They were attacked by that Gajeel guy. Levy explained everything. She and Greninja dropped them off so Mira can take care of them for now."

Greninja was seen behind Elfman, looking rather grim and serious. "Nic's fighting him as we speak. He told us to get back-up ASAP!"

"Lead the way!" Erza ordered. With no time to waste, everyone ran out of the apartment, regardless of Lucy in her pajamas, and followed Greninja to where Nic was fighting Gajeel.

* * *

><p><strong>With Nic and Charizard<strong>

Nic barely managed to dodge as a huge sword cleaved through several branches and tore up a few tree trunks. The sword was more menacing with the edges moving like a chainsaw. Slash after slash, Gajeel relentlessly tried piercing Nic, but Nic was able to _barely _dodge every swipe.

Gajeel was cut off guard with Charizard hovering above him.

"**Flamethrower!**" Charizard unleashed a huge blast of fire, of which Gajeel jumped back from. He failed to dodge an oncoming Flamethrower from Nic and he fell to the ground with a sliding thud. Charizard lowered its altitude and the two unleashed a double Flamethrower.

Gajeel wasn't going to take this lying down.

"**Iron Dragon's Roar!**" Gajeel quickly conjured up Magic and his mouth spit out a huge turbulence of iron at the duel attack. The result was an explosion of iron and fire everywhere, with neither side taking any damage. When the attacks began to clear out, Gajeel was wide eyed to see Charizard flying in towards him with Nic on his back.

"**Flame Charge!**" Nic's body was surrounded in fire and he lunged off of Charizard and rammed into Gajeel's gut. Gajeel didn't have time to react as he yelped. Nic back away and Charizard zoomed in afterwards with a harsh Dragon Claw, hurling Gajeel through a couple trees. Nic exhaled and inhaled deeply and Charizard continued to be Nic's support.

For some reason, the two felt uneasy.

'_Something isn't right.' _Charizard thought.

Suddenly, a long column got Charizard and he gagged as he fell back several feet away.

"Charizard!" Nic shouted. He looked back and saw iron spears heading his way, he ducked and rolled out of the way. If he didn't look in time, he would've been impaled.

A diabolical laughter could be heard from where Gajeel was. It echoed about as Nic and Charizard got their feet under them. They heard twigs and logs snapping as an image of Gajeel came from out of the shadows.

"I'm very impressed with you." Gajeel smirked. "However, you're going to have to do a whole lot more if you wish to take me down!" Nic and Charizard both stepped back in shock. They noticed that Gajeel had changed.

The Iron Dragon Slayer's skin had transformed into iron scales. His entire body was a dark gray that was an armor to him. He looked rather more beastly this way, and not in a good way for the two of them. This has gotten a whole lot harder for them.

Nic gaped his mouth in disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding me." He said. Charizard bared its fangs in the challenge they were given. The odds weren't in their favor unless they could pull a trick off.

"**Iron Dragon's Club!**" He unleashed his attack and the two managed to dodge. There was a shockwave as the attack passed them, meaning the force was greatly enhanced. Charizard recovered fast enough to unleash a Flamethrower on him, but it proved ineffective. "What?!"

Gajeel chuckled. "Go on. Hit me with all the fire you can muster up. You can burn away these scales even if you tried. This is tougher than your average iron, so good luck trying to penetrate me."

Nic stepped back only to feel his calf hurt, but still pressed on with Flame Charge. He was getting faster because of the Speed increase, but when the attack landed, it didn't even dent him. Gajeel chuckled and simply swatted Nic away. Nic grunted in how much force that one swat had. Gajeel turned to see Charizard use another Dragon Claw. Gajeel blocked with his arms and took the hit just like he did with Nic. His scales were barely scratched and he was unaffected by the attack. He punched Charizard in the face and it send Charizard down to the ground several feet away, right in front of Nic.

"This guy's a tough nut to crack." Charizard muttered while still down. Nic and Charizard slowly got to their feet and gazed at Gajeel. They needed to shift the tide, but they didn't have many options. In their current state, their odds were slim. Charizard's Flamethrower wasn't strong enough, so the odds were that Heat Wave was no better.

It was time to kick it into high gear.

Nic smirked, thinking how fun this might be. Gajeel was off guard by this expression Nic had on his face.

"What are you so glee about?" Gajeel demanded. Charizard looked back and saw Nic smirk. It's been awhile since he had such a smirk. Charizard recognized it all too well. Now Charizard was smirking at Nic.

"Let me guess, we're going to do _that?_" Charizard asked, as if he'd known the answer all along.

"You know it." Nic said, smiling at his pal. The two then looked back at Gajeel. "Hey, scrapbrain! You're not the only one who can upgrade ya know!"

"What?" Gajeel was confused. He saw that Nic held up his wristband that was on his right wrist. It had a weird stone in it that showed a variety of colors. Nic touched the stone and Charizard's body was glowing a blue light from his abdomen.

"It's been awhile since we've done this!" Charizard said, getting ready for what's to come.

"You bet! Now Charizard, Mega Evolve!" Nic shouted. He held his wrist high as it protruded strings of light that connected with Charizard. Charizard was reacting to the light and his body was now glowing. The changed could be seen. His body shape was morphing. Its body and legs were getting a little more build in them, making him look more physically fit. Spikes were being shown forming on its shoulders. Its claws were heavily sharpen and larger. Its snout was a little bit shorter. It showed two small, fin-lie horns going down his neck. Its wings were being trimmed and divided into large, rounded points and every third joint had a claw-like spike. The sides of its mouth was shown to have fire going out. When it stopped glowing, it was black with a sky blue underside. The wings were blue and the tip of the spikes on its shoulders were lined with sky blue. Its eyes were red and its tail flame and the flames coming out of its mouth were now blue with more intense heat than before.

Mega Charizard roared as it unleashed a shockwave throughout the air upon Mega Evolution. This made Gajeel step back in shock of this transformation. It could feel the heat from where it was standing.

"W-what is that thing?!" Gajeel demanded, stuttering upon looking into its red menacing eyes.

Nic smirked. "Meet Mega Charizard!" Nic shouted. Mega Charizard roared as it proclaimed the shift in the tide.

"Now here's something you don't see every day." Mega Charizard said, glancing back at Nic and looking back at Gajeel. "We have two dragons and a Nic, all in one place." He was right. Now that Mega Charizard was a Dragon Type, that would make Gajeel and Charizard the two "dragons" and Nic, well, "The Nic".

Nic let a small laughter escape him before he felt the bruise taking a toll on him. They had to end this now.

"It's time we finish this!" Nic proclaimed. Gajeel regained his composure and smirk.

"Hah! Whether or not you change doesn't mean you're still gonna win! **Iron Dragon's Roar!**" He then unleashed a turbulence that went straight for the two of them. Mega Charizard didn't even flinch as it spread its wings out.

"**Heat Wave!**" Mega Charizard roared as it unleashed large blue flames as it flapped once. The attack was far more tense than an average Heat Wave due to Mega Charizard's intense heat given off. The Iron Dragon's roar and the Heat Wave mad contact, and the result was that the Heat Wave was melting the iron in the turbulence.

"What?!" Gajeel was angry that his roar was being overpowered and Heat Wave soon overpowered him and hit him. He winced in pain as he took the intense blast. He was wrong. He felt his scales becoming hot, and he couldn't do much from that. He simply awaited for the attack to finish, and when he did, he stepped back and saw that Nic had shifted into his Splash Plate form.

"Charizard, **Fly**!" Nic commanded. Mega Charizard roared and it shot straight up into the air. Gajeel looked to see how fast Mega Charizard was flying up. It was just going up and up, and he had forgotten Nic for a split second.

"**Hydro Pump!**" Nic made an aquatic mirror and it shot forth a huge volume of water at Gajeel. Gajeel took it and didn't budge. The scales were cooling down for him and he only flinched at such an attack. Those scales were tough to break, but Nic was making progress.

Gajeel jumped and tried running up to Nic with an arm morphed into a sword, but Mega Charizard came shooting down and crashed on him. There was a shockwave flowing about from that crash and Gajeel was lying in the crater for a few seconds. He got back up and grunted at the amount of strength that Mega Charizard wielded. He did an Iron Dragon's Club and Mega Charizard got its arms up and wings for shielding. It took the strong attack and was shoved back a few feet. That attack had some fight in it. Mega Charizard grunted at Gajeel's own power and saw that the column was being retracted.

"**Dragon Claw!**" The claws on Mega Charizard's hands became surrounded in a light blue, claw-shaped energies. It made it looked as though it had bigger claws. It then jumped and soared straight into Gajeel, slashing at him. Gajeel, once again, blocked by using his arm. Dragon Claw was far stronger than it was earlier, and it made Gajeel flinch and yelp as it felt the scales on his arm being torn up. He stepped back and took a look at his arm. There was a huge claw mark on his scales.

"Damn you lizard!" Gajeel cursed. Mega Charizard gave a warning growl as it flew back to Nic's side. Fortunately for Nic, he didn't have to move around all that much thanks to Mega Charizard. Nic shifted back into his Flame Plate Form and the two launched a combo attack again.

"**Flamethrower!**" Mega Charizard roared, unleashing blue flames.

"**Inferno!**" Nic shouted, releasing a devastating blue flame from his mouth. The two intense attacks combined into an almighty blazing blast that Gajeel's Iron Dragon Roar was clearly no match for. The blazing attack melted through the assault that Gajeel threw and he got scorched by the attack. This was still considered normal fire to Gajeel, unlike Natsu's fire. However, this flame was far more intense than he would have imagine. He felt his scales beginning to burn and he clenched his fists and screamed in place. As the attack finished, he got to a knee and was breathing heavily.

"Give up yet?" Nic shouted, transforming into his Splash Plate Form. Gajeel looked up and he was infuriated.

"You'll pay for that." He growled.

"We'll see about that! **Water Pulse!**" Nic's palms then created a sphere of water and threw it at Gajeel's abdomen. Gajeel only budged a little and saw that the scales on his body were starting to feel uncomfortable.

He looked to see that his abdomen was beginning to crack, and the rest of his scales were looking either contracted or expanded. This somewhat restrained some movement, slowing him down.

"Curse you! **Iron Dragon's Spear!**" Gajeel shouted. He got up and tried and to pierce Nic, but he leaned to his left and he shifted back to his Flame Plate Form. He then began charging towards the Phantom Lord Mage, despite the leg wound he had to endure.

"Mega Charizard!" Nic shouted. Mega Charizard then roared and flew into Gajeel with a Dragon Claw. Gajeel was still retracting his spear arm when Mega Charizard swiped at his abdomen, making him fall back. Gajeel jumped back to his feet and saw that Mega Charizard was already a safe distance away from Gajeel.

'_He's fast-!' _Gajeel saw that his abdomen was severely cracked and saw that the scales were starting to chip off. "No!" He then looked to see that Nic was still charging at him.

"Okay you swine! Time to put you out of your misery!" Nic shouted. The flames on Nic's coat were starting to light up in a light blue, signifying an enormous heat signature surging about. Gajeel was trying to ready himself by preparing an Iron Dragon's Roar, but his scales were restraining his movements, making him flinch as a few scales chipped here and there.

Nic was now a few feet in front of Gajeel's abdomen, and he let him have it. "We've had it with you! **Legendary Arts: Blue Flare!**" Nic opened his mouth and a monstrous stream of light blue flames shot forth. Gajeel howled in agony as the almost point blank attack made contact. His Iron Dragon Scales shattered into pieces and the Phantom Lord Mage was shot backwards, still being bombarded with the gushing ocean of light blue flames.

* * *

><p><strong>With Greninja and the others<strong>

The others were at the sight where Nic had first fought Gajeel. They were clearly here, they could tell. They saw some shattered pavement from before, a few stands smashed, and they saw a flower stand destroyed.

"Natsu, can you track them?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, I'll try." With Natsu's enhance nose, he could pick up on Nic's scent in no time. However, before they could begin, they heard a tremendous explosion from afar. They felt the ground shake up and Natsu fell forward with a thud. He got back up and everyone saw a huge inferno of blue fire and smoke in the distance.

"What the heck is that?" Lucy asked. They all were seeing the inferno slowly diminish and the smoke was clearing out. They were all getting their guards up for this one.

Greninja raised a brow, knowing what went down.

"That would be Nic's handy work." Greninja said casually. Everyone turned and looked at Greninja in shock.

"That was Nic?!" Gray exclaimed.

"He caused damage like a real man!" Elfman exclaimed.

Erza was getting worried about Nic. He was facing a Dragon Slayer, and an S-Class Mage from Phantom Lord. "Let's hurry!" She ordered. Everyone then followed her, but Greninja zoomed ahead due to such amazing speed it had. They were all closing in on the site where Nic was.

* * *

><p><strong>With Nic and Mega Charizard<strong>

The dust and smoke cleared, revealing a straight line of nothing. An endless trail was shaped from the attack, with trees being either incinerated or destroyed. The trail ran a good few hundred meters until it was out of sight. The odds were that Gajeel was pretty much out for the count.

Gajeel was several hundred meters away, lying on the ground after being burned and smashed through several rows of trees. He opened his eyes and he turned his body upwards, barely able to stand up. With what strength he could muster up, he made a hasty retreat back to Phantom Lord, batted and wounded to a painful degree.

He turned back and looked back into the direction that Nic and Mega Charizard were from, he took a good glance back, unable to see with the distance between them, and turned back.

"This isn't over." He muttered before coughing and gagging, and fled into the forest shadows.

Nic and Mega Charizard were back where they obliterated Gajeel from the scene. Nic's mouth was letting out some hot steam after that last attack. He kept his mouth gapped open as the steam dispersed and he went to a nearby tree to support his weight. He sure felt lightheaded from that attack he pulled off. He belched up some fire and sighed, relieved that it was over…for now.

Mega Charizard walked over towards Nic. Both were breathing heavily from exhaustion. That fight had put them through their paces. Charizard got to a knee and grunted.

Nic looked over at his pal and sighed. "You too, huh?" Nic asked rhetorically, yet drained.

Mega Charizard huffed and puffed a little and turned towards Nic, letting out a slight chuckle. "That guy roughed us up good." Mega Charizard said with a smile.

"Yeah, but we whooped his sorry behind, didn't we?" Nic said with a smile. The two share a small laugh, looking at each other's wounds. All Mega Charizard had were a few bumps and scratches compared to Nic's large bruise on his calf, but he was roughed up in a few places as well. "Regardless, you did great pal."

"Thanks." Mega Charizard said, he then was encased in an array of colors and he reverted back to himself. "You didn't do so bad yourself there pal. We managed to go that extra mile."

Nic nodded and they heard some people approaching from behind. The two turned around, ready to spit fire the first chance they get. They then saw a few familiar figures run up towards them. It was Greninja and the others. The two gave a sigh of relief that they were in the clear. Everyone ran up to Nic and Charizard and stopped in front of them.

They all gasped at the damage the two had taken. They saw all of the bumps and scratches they have accumulated from their little scuffle. Erza walked towards Nic and looked at him.

"Nic, are you alright?" Erza asked. Nic nodded and grunted from his wound. He reverted back to himself and Erza looked at his calf injury in shock. "You're hurt."

"Tell me something I don't know." He muttered in pain. Erza and Gray then went over and gave Nic support to keep him up.

Greninja went by Charizard's side and looked at his injuries as well. Greninja and Charizard both gave mutual looks at one another, obviously understanding how the other feels. Since Charizard was Nic's second pokémon, Greninja and Charizard could read each other just as easily as they could read Nic.

"Don't tell me, you did _that_." Greninja said.

Charizard looked ahead at the damage they cause. "Yeah. That guy had what was coming to him." Greninja saw the trail ahead and whistled in shock.

"Dang. You two had some fire power!"

Natsu and Elfman then went up towards Nic and asked him what happened. Nic responded, saying that he and Charizard scared him off. The odds were that that wasn't the last of him.

Natsu cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "Those Phantom jerks are going to get what's coming to them!"

"Enough Natsu. Charizard and I defeated Gajeel and he's long gone by now." Nic said, much to the latter's shock.

"You did what?! _You _got to trash Gajeel, but I didn't?! That's no fair!" Natsu complained. Nic just ignored him and returned Charizard and Greninja for some well-deserved rest. Nic then explained everything about how the battle went as he was assisted on the way back to Magnolia.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night, in Phantom Lord…<strong>

Gajeel had returned, battered and beaten to a pulp, much to the guild's surprise. They all got up from their seats and looked on in shock at Gajeel limping back in.

Jose Porla looked down at the beaten and roughed up form of Gajeel. He was surprised by what had become of him. The biggest threat of Phantom Lord, crushed and beaten. He was even more shocked to hear what Gajeel had reported. A young mysterious man with sunglasses on his V-neck was able to defeat one of his most powerful mages in combat. The Iron Dragon Slayer was defeated by an unknown person that Jose wasn't aware of, and here he thought he knew all of the strongest people in Fairy Tail.

"Are you sure that it wasn't any of Makarov's S-Class Mages, like Laxus?" Jose asked.

Gajeel shook his head. "No sir. He had sunglasses and he had his own set of monsters helping him. A frog and a fire breathing dragon that can transform as can he." He informed.

Jose pondered on what he had said for awhile. Makarov's grandson didn't possess those abilities. It was also not Mystogan since he never showed his face. Also, it couldn't possibly be the almighty Gildarts since he was away as well. Who was this mystery?

The Guild Master smirked and chuckled. "Well, this is interesting indeed. Makarov may have been hiding something from us. The odds are that he won't let this incident slide. Two of his guild members are injured. They should be here sometime to get back at us probably. You might as well rest up for when that happens; in the meantime, have Sol and Miss Juvia go and fetch little Miss Heartfilia."

The Iron Dragon Slayer nodded and left the room.

Jose stood there. _'What is this young warrior that Makarov has been hiding? I'm anxious to see what he can do. Makarov may have his own surprises, but I have a few tricks of my own. Be ready Makarov, it's time you learn who the top guild really is!'_

* * *

><p><strong>Another chapter done. If you think about it, this was rather slow. It covered up a fight scene though, and I thought it was pretty cool. It's been awhile since I've updated this story, so consider this chapter a tasteful and epic treat.<strong>

**Alpha Dragonis: Now you see why the title is called what it is? It wasn't until after I released the previous chapter that I thought of another and better title, but I just stuck with this one.**

**Somebody wanted a Mega Evolution, and now they got one. What did you think of Mega Charizard X?**

**Hope you guys enjoyed the killer fight I had going through this chapter. I wanna ask you guys something: I'm thinking of other possible ways that the Jupiter Canon could be stopped other than Erza, but I haven't found much luck. Let me know how it should go, I'm open to an ideas.**

**I plan to have one more fight before the big battle rages, so be ready for another fight scene ahead of you.**

**Please Favorite, Follow, & Review this story and chapter. My other story has double the reviews this story has, and I only got it out this week. It's kind of making me upset that this story isn't getting as much credit as my new one, considering this one has been out longer.**

**Nevertheless, thank you for reading yet another chapter of **_**The Fairy Contender**_**. Please Review!**

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time: Rain or Shine<strong>


	8. Rain or Shine

Chapter 8 – Rain or Shine

**I'm back guys. My other story's most recent chapter took only a day to get done, and to me, that's a new record time. I worked on it all day Monday, so that didn't slow me down at all.**

**Some of you guys are throwing out some sweet ideas for the upcoming chapters. You guys are (in my personal favorite word) Total-Awesomeness!**

**Some of you guys want to see some more Legendary Pokémon like Kyurem and such in some fights. Unfortunately, I don't see how that's going to play out since Nic doesn't have the Icicle Plate yet, BUT you guys did give me a super sweet idea to use for the Tower of Heaven Arc.**

**In my viewpoint, I think you guys are thinking a little out of my comfort zone. You all might hate me for this, but I'm one of those individuals who hasn't made the transition over to ORAS, though I do play the game, but rarely. I like X and Y more, so all of that stuff that's in ORAS that wasn't in X and Y – Not gonna happen. HOWEVER, someone did bring up the move Dragon Ascent, so I'll look into that just a little.**

**I'll be introducing another pokémon this chapter, and another will come shortly after. **

**Now let's get on with the show.**

**To Recap:**

When Nic had returned to Fairy Tail, he found the Guild Hall destroyed and everyone operating in the basement. Later that night, as everyone else was asleep, Team Shadow Gear gets ambushed by Gajeel, the Iron Dragon Slayer from Phantom Lord. Nic rushes in and fights alongside Mega Charizard and the two manage to defeat him after a hard fought brawl, though he retreats wounded back to Phantom Lord.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8 – Rain or Shine<strong>

After the devastating brawl that involved Nic, Charizard/Mega Charizard, and Gajeel was settled, Nic was helped back to Magnolia, where Jet and Droy were being watched over by Mira and Levy throughout the night until some professional medics arrived.

"Ow! Okay, that stings." Nic complained, but Porlyusica just rolled her eyes and continued applying medicine to his calf bruise.

"Don't complain. You're lucky that your bruise didn't get any bigger, otherwise it would be infected." The elderly pink haired woman sighed irritably. She finished applying the medicine and wrapped Nic's leg wound in bandages. She then went over to look at her other two patience that were attended to earlier.

Nic's gaze went over towards Jet and Droy, of whom were seriously wounded from a certain Iron Dragon Slayer ambushing them in the black of the night. They were both sleeping in beds, as to where Nic didn't need a bed since he was treated on a counter. The two were sound asleep from the treatments Porlyusica had provided. The two were diagnosed to be in stable condition, but won't be going anywhere for a few days.

"Thanks again." Nic muttered.

Porlyusica merely glared at Nic and turned her head sharply going "Hmph." And then exiting the hospital room.

"You'll have to excuse my old friend Nic. She isn't fond of humans nor human nature for that matter." Makarov spoke, stepping up to Nic.

Compared to Jet and Droy's injuries, Nic got off lucky. Other than his leg injury, he was perfectly fine if not tired and exhausted from last night. He didn't get a single wince of sleep because of his deep concerns for his fellow guild members.

Erza, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Levy were all there in the same room, seeing them in such a feeble state. Not as much concern was addressed to Nic since he was fine though. The guild in general was infuriated with Phantom Lord and its cowardly stunts. This was the last straw.

Levy was sitting in between her two fallen comrades' beds, with tears swelling up in her eyes. She looked down at them in their sorry states and she couldn't bare but think that it was all her fault. Lucy say next to her to comfort her friend's mind, but to have little results. She felt even more guilty that she couldn't prevent Nic's leg injury.

Everyone was not only discomforted, but the fact that the same guy attacked twice had made them erupt in anger. Elfman was clenching his fists so hard that blood almost stopped circulating towards them. Gray was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, as to where Natsu had a dreaded look that made him want to thrash someone in the next three seconds.

"Why couldn't I help…I couldn't do anything." Levy muttered, almost letting tears fall. Her voice was faint, but could be heard. "I'm so weak. I should've just went back home and then we could all be fine. This is all my fault."

"Levy, if anyone's to blame, it's Phantom Lord." Gray said, trying to ease a sobbing Levy.

"Yes, Phantom was done enough damage to us. They've crossed the line of tormenting our guild members with such anguish." Erza said, stepping forward.

A silence broke out as no one could do anything but just looked on at the two injured people…well, unless you count Nic as two and a half. Makarov just looked down and started shaking with such rage.

"I can handle our Guild Hall being trashed, I can handle our guild being blown away ten times over, but this act of violence has started something that Jose shouldn't have! Jose has gone and done the unthinkable. He needs to be reminded to never mess with my children. He wanted a battle, we're giving him a war!"

Everyone felt riled up from Master's speech. They all knew that you shouldn't go and mess with family, especially when it's Fairy Tail. Now was time to take action.

"Everyone, prepare the rest of the guild. We're taking the battle to Jose and Phantom Lord! We move at once!" Makarov commanded.

Everyone shouted in agreement. Natsu was all fired up now. His fists were raging with such heat that he was aching to let out.

"Yeah, it's about time Gramps!" Natsu said smiling with determination.

Nic looked on as the rest of the guild was cheering for their upcoming war, only to look down. He wasn't happy at all. He couldn't be. Not only could he not join the others, but the fact that war wasn't Nic's strong suite. Sure he had rivalries back in Kalos, but those rivalries didn't include beating the other trainer's pokémon senseless when it was already down. Fairy Tail was already down, and Phantom had gone and trashed them. If it were a one on one fight, then maybe, but Nic wasn't going to join such melee if it meant blood being spilled. He'll take the home front and keep watch over everything while they're kicking booties.

Everyone left the hospital room. Natsu, Gray, Elfman, and Mira, and also Lucy had followed them out. Erza was about to do the same, but then her gaze started drifting over towards Nic.

She noticed that he was silent. He didn't seem like himself this way. This made Erza feel unhappy.

"Nic, you alright?" The red-head asked.

Looked gazed up at her and did a half smile. "War isn't my specialty. I'll just take it easy back here." He said, feeling disgusted by thinking of blood. Erza could see it in his eyes. This was one of Nic's weaknesses: Blood. She felt sorry for him, but had to shift her focus back to where her attention should he held, which was the upcoming battle.

Nic continued. "Tell Natsu to fry a few guys for me, will ya?"

Erza looked on and turned her head. "Yes. I will. I'll see you later Nic." She said, exiting the room.

As soon as she had departed, only Nic and Levy were in the room, as well as an injured Jet and Droy. The thoughts came flooding through Nic's brain about the upcoming battle. He highly doubted that there will be blood, the meaning of war itself sickened him. It meant comrades and family getting hurt, and if that were to happen, he might freak out. That made memories flush back to when he was abused by his parents.

_It was a little house in Vaniville Town. His sister was still in her diapers, including the one she was wearing on her head as a hat. She crawled about while Nic was making a peanut butter sandwich. He was in the kitchen as to where his sister was in the other room._

_He was finishing up with the spreading of the peanut butter and pressed on with the jelly. When he had opened the lid, he heard a thud in the other room. Upon instinct, he dropped the jar of jelly and it broke on the floor. _

_Not even caring for the mess that he had made, he rushed over to see that his baby sister was crying. She was sitting there and weeping as Nic was coming to comfort her. _

_The thud was from her falling back when she tried to stand up. She had made a few attempts at this before, but that was when her parents were around. Her parents were upstairs and Nic was downstairs, easing his sister. _

"_Ssshhh. It's okay now. Big brother is here." Nic hushed quietly, making her calm down. She stopped crying and looked up to see him. She was pretty happy to see her brother. _

_Until the parents came down._

_Nic's dad had a goatee and short, black hair. He had an unkempt stubble and he had crude green eyes. He wasn't in the best shape, as he was a little overweight and his skin was pale._

_Nic's mother had messy, long, blonde hair. She was a little shorter than Nic's dad,but her blue eyes were just like Nic's, only hers weren't as pure. She was in no better shape than her husband. She was skinny and she wore no makeup._

_In summary, they were considered those kind of parents that took no shame in their looks nor personalities._

_They saw Nic's baby sister crying. The mom went over to pick her up as to where the dad just dragged Nic away._

"_What did you do to Vanessa?" His father demanded. Nic was deeply offended, but he couldn't do anything against them. It was a hopeless situation for him. His father looked to see that the jelly jar had been smashed._

"_Nic! What did you do now?!" His father roared in the kitchen. _

"_What did he do now?" His mother yelled. She gently set down Vanessa and smiled and waved at their favorite child. She waltzed on over and saw that Nic had dropped the jar._

"_Nic!" His mother yelled, very displeased. Nic was in trouble, all because he went to help his baby sister. His father went over and he glared down at Nic. He was frightened. He put up his hands to gesture a surrender._

"_Wait. I can explain-!" It was short lived when his father kicked him down hard and made him land on his back. He turned over onto his stomach and tried to get back up without crying. His mother stomped on over and she glared furiously at Nic. They were upset because they thought he had hit Vanessa, and Nic was gonna get the jelly jar and hit her with it until he heard them come down._

_How stupid are they?!_

_His mom jerked him up and slapped his face repeatedly, not wanting to see him as a bigger failure than he already was. _

"_Nic Pularis, you tell us what you were doing with that broken jar! Were you trying to hurt your sister with the shards?!" _

_Nic was wide eyed and scared. He had no say._

"_You need to be responsible. You can't try and hurt Vanessa just because she gets more attention than you! You dumb bastard!" His father berated, yanking Nic from his mother and dropping him to the floor on his back. His father went over and got the shattered remains and held them over Nic. "Let's see how you like it if you were in her place!"_

"_No, please!" Nic cried. "It was all a misunderstan-!" He wasn't allowed to speak and the shards came bombarding Nic's back, which felt terrible. Afterwards, he was left with a scratched up and bloody back and his parents forced him up and made him sit in the corner of the living room and go the whole day without eating._

_The parents wanted perfect kids, and they had given up on Nic when he was born, thinking he was a mistake. Worst parents ever. They weren't very educated, not bright, and they were a little high on the alcohol they consume and take out all of their frustrations on Nic._

_His sister had it easy, but Nic went through fifteen years of bloody hell, but still came out fine._

Back to reality, he slowly got up and tried to seek a quiet place to think. He needed a walk in nature or something. He plugged in his earbuds and made way out the door. Levy didn't pay any attention, but did take note of Nic's leave.

He got out of there and saw Lucy outside the hospital. Nic walked right up to her.

"Hey, Lucy." Nic said, trying to shake off any remains of that horrid flashback. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready for battle?" Nic could see that Lucy had no vengeful look in her eyes. He saw that she wasn't planning on joining the brawl.

Lucy frowned. "Well, the S-Class Wizards are out on job requests and Levy's watching over Jet and Droy. I think that it would be best to have more than just you, Levy, and Mira watching the guild. Since Levy won't leave their side, and Mira isn't much of a fighter, that leaves you and me. You're almost recovered, but I can't leave a friend knowing he's been through a lot. I'm watching the guild as well." Lucy said.

It wasn't such a bad idea to have Lucy stay behind, but it was for the best though. She was in the guild just as long as Nic, but she was just a little less inexperienced. It was best to leave them watching over while the others went for war.

Nic nodded. "Okay. Look, I'm heading out to get some fresh air. A hospital isn't where I belong. Be back soon, okay?"

Lucy nodded. "Alright, just be careful and make sure that if any trouble happens, signal me."

Nic started walking passed her. "Same." He plugged in his earbuds and then began walking off into the outskirts of town.

Lucy looked back and sighed. "This blows. Though I do wanna fight, I can't risk getting as injured as Jet or Droy. Ugh." She looked around and saw nobody there. No trouble seemed to be in sight, so she must have been in the clear for now.

"I guess I should get some groceries for Levy and bring them back to her. She hasn't eaten since yesterday." Lucy then went off into the market to get some food for her worried friend. It shouldn't be too long until she gets back, as long as she doesn't get delayed that is.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile…<strong>

Nic had finally made it to another forest clearing. Not too far from where he and Gajeel had brawled. He had to get out to nature rather than lay in a hospital bed. Nic unplugged his earbuds and put them back into his pockets.

He slowly slid back against a tree trunk and closed his eyes. He could feel the grass and how the bark felt on his back. With the sun out, he flipped on his sunglasses and started to clear his head.

All of those wounds from the past, all of that pain, the heartache, the blood, he had to get that out of his head. That horrid childhood only scarred him for life, literally, and he couldn't seem to find such a place to ease himself. That childhood did make Nic see things the way they are now. For instance, he's not afraid of Erza one bit because he found his parents far more intimidating. The reason he has his earbuds in all the time is to drown out the pain he took in, and the reason he flips out in situations he didn't understand, like when the guild was destroyed, was because that happened a lot when he was young. Nic had grown since then to become a better being and understand others. What didn't kill him only made him stronger.

He sat in quiet for a good five minutes or so, and he was taking in every sound he could hear. The bushes rustling, the winds blowing, the occasional leaves in the wind. All of this was somehow tranquil to Nic. Nature sure had something to offer him for his discomfort.

Nic had already appreciate the concept of nature and the various environments he had to endure throughout his journey in Kalos. Fiore was no different. He's been through caves, forests, open seas, mountains of snow, pretty much everything you could've imagined. All of these environments made Nic adapt one way or another and that's how he managed to overcome such situations. In some battles, he used the surrounding to win, like have Greninja dive in nearby pond, or simply have Kecleon change into her surroundings.

Not much could be said otherwise for him. He always thought of nature as a hurdle to jump over. He never actually considered it to be peaceful to him this way, but that was changing for him.

The longer he sat there, the more nature he took in. He could feel the sun's rays beaming down on him, the heat making him feel like a plant. Nic was feeling as though his energy was slowly recovering.

He took notice as to how he was somehow being restored. He was slowly accumulating energy from all around him and he felt nothing but the grass he sat on and the bark. Aware that his concentration might break, he stopped taking notice and let it all flow. It was for the best though. He just took it all in as he sat there cross-legged. Now he was feeling something new.

He couldn't be certain, but it had to be that the Plates from within him were reacting as well. They weren't as nearly as strong from when he had gone and obtained the Dread Plate. Rather than feeling them jump all about like atoms, he felt them on a relaxing vibration. The more of nature he took in, the more the Plates began to vibrate.

He kept his breathing steady as he felt his body recover. Slowly in and out, as the oxygen went all about.

As of now, his mind was as fresh as a daisy and clean as the crystal blue water. It was like having a sixth sense, because he then picked up on a signature from above.

He opened his eyes, feeling cleansed of such anguish, though not entirely. He had seen a rain cloud hovering over an area as it flew over magnolia. It wasn't even big, but still he saw it. Rain feel down in a concentrated place and the little cloud was slowly moving deeper into Magnolia.

How could this be? It couldn't possibly be Rain Dance, and he wasn't in his Splash Plate Form to even do Rain Dance. He knew this wasn't natural rain almost immediately because he picked up on some Magic in the rain.

This wasn't a good sign to take. With some new found strength to take back, he got up and rushed back through the trees and back to Magnolia.

Though he hasn't completely recovered from said bruise or previous battle, he had enough energy restored and strength to jump from tree to tree. Nic didn't think as to how he could've gotten some energy back, but he had to focus on the matter at hand.

"I'm coming guys, hang on." Nic muttered as he jumped from tree to tree.

* * *

><p><strong>Magnolia<strong>

Lucy had just gotten the groceries that she was looking for and stockpiled them all into one bag. There were a variety of things that she had bought, and she needed to get them to Levy.

"Oh man, Nic sure has been gone for quite some time." She said. "It's been over half an hour, how long does a nature walk around here take anyway?" Suddenly, Lucy felt rain fall down on her all of a sudden. She looked up to see that it wasn't sunny anymore, but cloudy and rainy.

"Rain?" She couldn't help but feel curious as to how it could be raining when it was sunny not even ten seconds ago. She looked to see that the groceries and grocery bag were getting soggy and the bread was softening. "Oh, c'mon! I spend good money on that bread!" She complained. She then saw a person approaching her.

She was a blue-haired woman in a coat that wrapped around her body. She had blue emotionless eyes and an expressionless face. She had some sort of doll on her coat that was keeping her coat buttoned. She kept going "Drip, drip, drop" and continued onward as she walked by Lucy.

"Who are you?" Lucy said, startled by this woman.

"The rain is always with me. What kind of woman are you pray tell?" She asked Lucy as she continued to walk.

"Uh, I'm jst the regular kind. And what's with all of the dripping?" she answered and asked confused. The blue-haired walked right passed her, unfolding her umbrella. "A pleasure to have met you. I must be going."

Lucy turned in annoyance back towards the "drip, drip, drop" woman. "Well take the rain with ya!" Lucy yelled back. Then there was another voice that was heard as they both turned and saw the pavement changing and repeatedly saying. "Non, non, non!"

The pavement then stopped shaping and then transformed into a slim man of average height with a tiny, pointy, moustache and green hair pointing upwards. A monocle was over his right eye, attached to a slim chain. His other eye in general was small and round, compared to his other, larger eye. He wore a brown suit with three protrusions going outwards on both sides. He had on a white shirt with a red tie and had simple shoes. A short cape linked his elbows together.

He had a bizarre stance, with his head tilted. "I bid you bonjour, mademoiselle!" He said in a thick, French accent.

Lucy just looked on baffled. "Oh great, another weirdo?!"

The man then swayed his body and spoke. "Juvia, you must not shy away. You must focus on the task at hand." He then made his way over towards Juvia's side and put two fingers on his monocle, as if adjusting it. "Ah, oui. I see we have our intended target."

"Yes, she is the one." She said blankly.

Lucy didn't whether or not to be freaking out or standing her ground, but she knew these guys were trouble.

"Ah, oui. I have not yet introduce myself. Salut, I am Sol of the Element Four, also known as Sol of the Earth, but it is you who shall refer to me as Monsieur Sol." He said,

"I've heard about you. You're with Phantom!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Ah, oui. We have been send here to collect you and bring you back to the guild. My belle accomplice is Juvia of the Great Sea, she too is a member of the Element Four." Sol explained, bending his body all about.

Lucy then dropped all of her groceries and reached for her Zodiac Keys. She got in a defensive stance as the milk from the grocery bag began to stream out of the carton. What a waste of perfectly good milk!

"You guys are gonna pay for what you did to my friends!" Lucy exclaimed, but the next thing she knew was that her body was floating off the ground and she was being enveloped in a sphere of water.

Nic had finally arrived on a rooftop that towered above the scene. He saw Juvia encase Lucy in the sphere and he witnesses her struggle inside. They had no clue that Nic was towering from above.

Nic then had an epiphany. He felt the Plates stopped reacting, almost lie a switch. When he was ready for battle, that switch turned the Plates off, but when not in combat, the Plates were vibrating. Nic recognized this feeling from before, when he fought Tartaros. Back then, the Plates were going nuts, but they were held off when Nic went into battle. This was that same feeling.

'_Wait, does this mean…?' _Nic had an assumption that he's slowly unlocking another Plate, though his thoughts were postponed when he saw Lucy slowing down from within. _'Crap! No time to waste. I can't use Charizard since he's still tired, and that water lady looks as though she can manipulate water, leaving Greninja out of the question, so that means that I'm going to have to get up front this time rather than a stealth attack.'_ Nic then jumped down from the building and landed in between the two Element Four members and Lucy.

Sol and Juvia were taken back as Nic turned and shifted into his Splash Plate and diving in to get Lucy out of Juvia's Water Lock Spell. Since Nic had the Splash Plate active, that meant he could breathe underwater, giving him no trouble when it came to yanking Lucy out. The spell broke when Lucy was pulled out.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Nic asked.

Lucy coughed and looked up at Nic. "Yeah, thanks." Nic then assisted in getting her back up to her feet. The two then glared at Juvia and Sol. Juvia was still looking emotionless, but Sol was still wiggling about in surprise.

"Oh, mon dier! I have never seen such an ability. Someone had just fazed through Juvia's water with ease maintenant!" Sol said.

"It is a new development. Perhaps this is the one that gave Gajeel a hard time." Juvia said. Nic got ready to attack, but first he turned back to Lucy.

"Lucy. Get out of here and back to Mira. If it's you they're after, then I'll put some distance in between." Nic ordered. Lucy hesitated, but she soon took to her heels and turned.

"Be careful." She said, looking back at him. Nic then turned back to his new opponents with distaste.

"I'll try _not_ to." He said, implying that he'll have to get crazy this fight. Lucy nodded and ran off back to the guild's basement. As soon as she was out of sight, everyone was clear to go.

"Now, now monsieur. Why must you be getting in the way? We were on a task to bring Miss Heartfilia back to the guild and then then you showed up." Sol complained, bending his body towards his right.

"Why are you guys after her in the first place?" Nic demanded.

"Ah, that is a good question. But it will not be answered as we must now focus on you." Sol said, bending back upwards.

"Yes. Once we have defeated you, we will pursue Lucy Heartfilia." Juvia said, emotionless. Nic started to get a Water Pulse at the ready.

"You guys have to do a lot better than your pal if you want to get pass me!" Nic exclaimed.

"Very well, monsieur. We shall overcome your strength and then the Heartfilia heir will be ours!" Sol proclaimed. Nic was taken back by this development.

"Heir? What are you saying?" Nic asked, dispelling his Water Pulse. Sol shrieked and wiggled all about.

"Oh non! I have spoiled ses beans! Non! Oh well, it cannot be helped. You might as well be aware that her father had asked us to take her back to him at once."

Nic narrowed his eyes. _'I'll have to get some answers from Lucy later. Right now, these clowns are going down.' _Nic then got out a poke ball and tossed it up. "It's time to bring the hurt, Staraptor!" Nic shouted. Staraptor then formed from the energy from Nic's poke ball.

Staraptor proclaimed its name as it flapped in the air. It gave a shiver down Sol and Juvia's spines as it had Intimidate activated. Although, Staraptor has absolute zero fear, making itself extremely confident.

"You ready Staraptor?" Nic asked.

"Ever more. Just say the word and I'll crush them like potato chips!" Staraptor proclaimed.

"Ah, so this is what Monsieur Gajeel was talking about. That giant bird had given me the shivers." Sol analyzed, pinching his tiny moustache.

"It would appear that we'll have to defeat two adversaries now." Juvia said, folding up her umbrella.

The four were glaring at each other for a short while, and then the fun began.

"Allow me to begin. **Roche Concerto!**" Sol raised his arms over his head and Nic felt the ground beneath him starting to shake. He got out of the way just before the rocks shot upwards. Nic got his footing and managed to get in close to Sol with an Aqua Jet, but Juvia managed to cut him off with her Water Slicer. Nic saw this and stopped just before the blades had hit him. He watched as they all kept on going and sliced through a stand. Nic quickly jumped and used Brine on Sol, but was redirected back at him by Juvia's Magic. Staraptor managed to grab him and yank him out of the way just before getting hit.

"I can control water, so there's no need to use those attacks." Juvia said. Nic grunted as he then shifted into his Toxic Plate Form, seeing as how Juvia could manipulate his Water Type Moves.

"Stupid water lady." He muttered.

"Nic, shall we make it so that we each handle one?" Staraptor asked.

"Sure. You take the French guy, and I take the droopy lady." Nic said. Staraptor then dropped Nic and proceeded towards their intended targets.

"Ah, so I see we have ourselves an arrangement now, have we?" Sol pinched his moustache and grinned. "Very well, you shall suffer from defeat monsieur! **Sable Dance!**" Sol then created a swirl of sand around Staraptor, attacking him from all four sides. However, Staraptor looked unaffected by this attack, as the sand didn't even faze it.

"What's this? C'est impossible!" Sol exclaimed, seeing Staraptor flap there while taking the swirling sand.

"Is that the best you got? Ground Type attacks won't hurt me!" Staraptor shot straight through the sand and did a whole body 360 and rammed Sol with an Aerial Ace, knocking him onto the ground. Staraptor flew back upwards and circled around to attack again.

"**Acid Spray!**" Nic shot acid from his mouth as Juvia encased herself in a Water Dome, protecting herself from that one attack.

"Your attacks will prove useless if you can't even touch me." She said. Nic kept his cool, seeing as how he'll have to get up close with her.

"**Poison Jab!**" Nic then darted at Juvia with his fingers seeping with poison. She lashed her arm and used her Water Slicer to keep her distance from him. He jumped and narrowly dodged. He grunted as his calf didn't make the full recovery. _'Dammit. My jumping's limited. Gotta keep grounded.'_ Nic then landed and did a Sludge Bomb attack. Juvia, once again, use Water Slicer, but it tied with Nic's Sludge Bomb and there was a small smoke cloud. Nic made no haste in unleashing a Poison Sting, shooting little purple barbs at Juvia through the cloud.

Juvia didn't have time to register this as she was struck with intoxicating barbs, feeling them dart at her like needles. She winced in pain, but recovered from the shock.

"You're not sloppy, but you're gonna have to do better than that! **Water Cane!**" Her hand then became an aquatic whip that extended and then lashed out at Nic when the smoke cleared. He managed to evade a couple blows, blows the flexibility and the speed of the pressurized whip made it hard for him to avoid.

Back with Sol and Staraptor, Sol was using Roche Concerto, but she easily avoided it with her speed. Staraptor then used Double Team and a multitude of copies have appeared, confusing Sol.

"Which one is which? Je suis tres confused!" Sol said with eyes wide. He had to use Roche Concerto again, but he got two illusionary copies instead. The several others then converged on him and their wings were glowing a metal-gray color.

"Try and evade our Steel Wing!" The multitude of Staraptors said in unison. Sol flinched as the illusions fazed through him while the real one strikes him front the upper left, making him fly back and roll a few times.

"There's plenty more where that came from." Staraptor said as she flew in on Sol as he got up. Sol managed to snake his body around and wrap himself around Staraptor's body. Staraptor was stuck as Sol did not loosen his hold on the Predator Pokémon.

"Now now monsieur. Take it easy and please suffer from a slow demise." He said, with no way of being a gentlemen. Satraptor's movement was limited. All she could really do was move his head and feet. Sol's whole body was wrapped around her body, restraining his flight capabilities.

'_This guy's got me in a bind, literally.' _Staraptor thought. She then got up from the ground as stood on his two feet as Sol had squeezed even harder. _'Gah! This guy can't restrain me, not after I do this…' _Staraptor then used Steel Wing, making his wings glow a metal-gray again. Her wings then became even more sturdy and she just spread his wings and he pried Sol off.

"My, my. Such a strong set of wings, oui?" Sol analyzed.

Back with Nic and Juvia, Juvia had cornered Nic after lashing him consecutively with her Water Cane. When she thought he was cornered, she encased him in Water Lock.

"You're not going to make this any easier for yourself, give up and we'll spare you." Juvia said, raising her voice.

Nic wasn't in there for long. He shifted into his Splash Plate and he got his breathing back.

"Lady, giving up isn't in my vocabulary, neither is amphibology, for different reasons!" Nic proclaimed. He shot out of there with Aqua Jet and went straight up, putting some distance in between.

"**Hydro Pump!" **Nic then created a mirror of water that unleashed a large volume of water that went at Juvia. Juvia then made her counterattack as the Hydro Pump came at her.

"**Water Nebula!**" She then created two columns of water and they rotated around each other, forming a giant helix. Juvia then unleashed the helix at the Hydro Pump and the two attacks had collided. The two eventually cancelled each other out. Nic landed on the ground, but was short lived as he was blasted with an aquatic beam at blinding speed. Nic yelped as the attack pressed onwards and he slammed into a cart and smashed right through it and finished with a massive thud.

Nic laid there and tried to relieve his pain, but he was repeatedly stricken by Juvia's onslaught of Water Canes. She pounded and lashed at him consecutively. Nic grunted as he got up while being lashed at. He wasn't taking much damage from the lashing since the Splash Plate was active, but the attacks were still too overbearing.

"Lady…you've…left me…no choice." Nic growled, making Juvia stop her attack in curiosity.

"How so?" she asked. The rain was still coming down and the battle was intensifying.

"I didn't want to use this, but I can see that I'm going to have to short cut my way through this fight." Nic said, grasping his arm from the lashing he had sustained. He then shifted into the Zap Plate, making Juvia recoil from said transformation.

Juvia didn't know what to do next. What could he possibly do? There was only one way to find out. She then used Water Slicer, but Nic easily dodged by ducking. He then showed his power of electricity and he shot forth a Thunderbolt at her.

Juvia tried to counter with a Water Nebula, but the water only conducted the electricity, making it trace back to Juvia. Since her body was water as well, she conducted the entire Thunderbolt. She screamed as the electricity was so painful. She fell to her knees and Nic approached.

Juvia looked up and used her Water Beam to keep Nic away, but that wasn't the best move to use.

"**Thunderbolt!**" Nic, once again, used his Thunderbolt attack and he shocked Juvia, making her Water Beam useless. Juvia slowly got back up and started shaking. She was boiling with such rage. Nic could feel the rain intensify as she was starting to show off some steam. She gradually turned into water and then began to charge at Nic.

"You're not beating me! Never! **Sierra!**" She shot up in the air and then lunged at Nic from an angle, flying in and coming at him with a scalding body of water. "Graaahhhh!"

Nic stood perfectly still. He knew how this was going to end, but he had to follow through with it regardless. Nic just glared as he saw Juvia come at him.

"I call upon the powers of the Zap Plate to finish my foe and relinquish her from my sight. Let it be known that the power of electricity can surge through the violent torrents of cruelty and shock them to their senses!" Nic then had a large thundercloud over the battle and then lightning surged about.

"You're finished!" Juvia shouted.

"**Thunder!**"

Nic then unleashed a huge thunderbolt down on Juvia at high speed. She was only five feet away when the bolt had struck her. As the powerful bolt rained down on her, she screamed in agony. She felt every nerve in her body give in after being exposed to so much power.

Juvia fell to the ground with a thud. The Thunder attack ceased and Nic stared down at the barely conscious Juvia. She was back to being solid rather than her Water Body. Nic knew Juvia couldn't get up after such a devastating blast.

With one opponent out for the count, Nic then looked to see that Staraptor was still doing battle with Sol. He was well aware of how stubborn Staraptor is, so having himself thrown into the mess wouldn't make things better.

'_Staraptor's got this.' _Nic thought. He was simply respecting his pokémon as she continue her quarrel with Sol.

Sol adjusted his monocle, seeing Juvia defeated. He shrieked in horror.

"Non, non, non! C'est impossible! Ma accomplice has been defeated!" Sol shrieked. "Tres mal! This is not good!" He then looked and saw Staraptor using Aerial Ace again, and Sol took the hit and skid back a few feet. He got down to one knee, exhausted from his quarrel with Staraptor.

Staraptor flapped in place and glared Sol down, of whom was now shaking from being intimidated by his adversary.

"So tell me, is that the best that you can do?" Staraptor asked, quite unimpressed by Sol's efforts. Sol took offense to said question and got back to his feet.

Sol bend his body. "My, my, what a predicament that I am in, non? Well mademoiselle, you est tres formidable. I shall reward you with my most powerful spell." He then made a seal in front of him, which was rather large. This got Staraptor on edge.

"Take this! **Platre Sonata!**" A large clenched fist that was made of plaster then went soaring straight into Staraptor. She saw the fist coming at her with such velocity that she was narrowed down to only a few options.

Her most obvious choice, and most common, was taking the hit. She extended her talons and blocked the attack with her legs. The fist went flying at her with such strength that it pushed her back with ease. She grunted as she pressed on with extending her talons so that her entire body doesn't suffer. With what she could manage, she used the momentum and grabbed two fingers with her talons and she mustered up every bit of strength to send it flying past her with a summersault. The fist exploded when it was only twenty feet away from her. She huffed and puffed, tired from the amount of strength that she had to conjure up. She was lucky that the attack didn't explode right in front of her; otherwise, she'd be a fried chicken.

"That…took a bit of…effort." Staraptor admitted, trying to regain her breathing. She looked down and saw Sol using Roche Concerto yet again. With no time, she used Double Team and managed to avoid the attack.

"You are looking rather drained, now let me finish you!" Sol then used Roche Concerto one more time, and rocks flew up and Staraptor managed to avoid it once again, only to have all of the illusionary copies destroyed.

Staraptor was just about finished, she sought to end it with her most powerful attack. She flew down at an angle and dived right into Sol. Sol countered with his **Platre Sonata**, sending another large plastered fist into Staraptor. She dodged with a twirl around the fist and she came at Sol at high speed.

"Non! Je suis in big trouble!" Sol was shuddering as Staraptor was in front of his face, almost making him wet himself.

"**Close Combat!**" Staraptor then unleashed a massive barrage of wing strikes, talon strikes, beak strikes, all repeatedly slaming and bashing Sol like a punching bag. Sol gagged and yelped after every consecutive strike, unable to process a single strike until another two or three are delivered with more force.

After a repeated beating, Staraptor gave it one final strike with her wing and Sol soared into the earth, all battered and broken. Sol laid there for a few moments before slowly moving his body and crawling. Staraptor flapped in place and saw Sol slowly crawl over towards Juvia, barely able to stand. Staraptor flew back to Nic's side and the two watched as Sol got Juvia and then put her arm around his shoulders to support her. Juvia was barely conscious, but had no strength.

Sol looked up and took a good look at the all mighty adversaries that bested him and Juvia. After a good long stare, Sol adjusted his monocle.

"You shall obtain this victory once more, but rest assure that we will not be laying down like this. Until then, I bid you adieu mes adversaries." Sol said. His body then slowly began to merge with the ground, taking Juvia with him for an escape. Nic and Staraptor watched as the two made their getaway and disappear by Sol's Earth Magic.

The rain then ceased, revealing the sun once more in less than ten seconds. Nic looked to see the light shining bright on him. This felt good.

Nic shifted back to normal and stood there, processing the situation.

"…why were those guys after Lucy?" Nic said, slowly remembering what they were saying. Their target was Lucy Heartfilia, an "heir" and her father wants her back. This required an explanation, and he knew just where to get one.

"Nic, I don't think things are going to get any better after this point." Staraptor stated. Nic turned to face his Pokémon. She was right. The odds were that they'll just keep coming until Lucy is finally captured. This was disturbing, but he had to focus on the situation at hand.

"…Yeah. We better be prepared for the worst…" Nic said, looking forward at the alley that they've fought in. Puddles were everywhere, reflecting the sun shining ever so brilliantly. Nic then returned Staraptor and turned around. "Time to get some answers."

* * *

><p><strong>The Guild Hall basement<strong>

Mira was tending to Lucy and her health. Lucy told Mira that she was fine and that Nic was handling the situation.

"Do you think Nic will be alright?" Lucy wondered, sitting in a chair at a table with Mira standing right by her.

"Hope so. Nic's strong…Lucy, who exactly were your assailants?" Mira was curious, but also concerned with whom Nic might be fighting. Lucy tried to remember. She looked up into space and tried recounting the events.

"Let's see…" Lucy was starting to piece it all together. "…I think they were Juvia, and the other guy with the French accent was Sol."

Mira gasped at this shocking development. She stepped back in shock.

"You mean two of the Element Four?!" Mira asked. Lucy looked down at the table and stare off into the unknown.

"Yeah." She paused before speaking again. "I'm not sure why Phantom wanted to kidnap me, but I all I can say is that it wouldn't be good for any of us. Not that this situation is already."

Mira turned around and looked worried. "Well, Gajeel is considered tougher than the Element Four, but even two of the Element Four should be as tricky if not tougher. I hope Nic knows what he's doing."

It was only a minute after that they heard footsteps from above. The two indicated that it could be a member of Phantom, so they had to take precaution. Lucy got up and reached for her Zodiac Keys. The two of them then proceeded to the stairs and then they heard the steps going downwards very slowly. The two were anxious, but were relieved to see Nic coming down.

"Nic!" Lucy said, glad he's still okay.

"Are you okay?" Mira asked. They got no reply as Nic was staring down the entire time at the steps that he was taking. He slowly went down, step by step, until he'd finally reached the bottom. Nic then turned around and pointed at the staircase.

"Ha! Think you could fool me twice, well think again! I have triumphed over you!" Nic proclaimed, not forgetting the last time when he came down the stairs. "I told you you've made a powerful enemy!"

The two girls looked on, dumbfounded that Nic was yelling at the steps. After a bit of gawking at Nic's stupid rivalry with a staircase, the two proceeded towards him.

"Uh, Nic?" Mira got his attention. He looked up and turned around to see Lucy and Mira staring at him in disbelief.

"Uhhh…hi." Nic said, getting back to reality. He noticed that besides Levy and the two injured in the hospital, Lucy, Mira, and himself were the only ones who stayed behind as the rest of the entire guild went to fight and kick booties.

"Are okay Nic?" Lucy asked. She notice that Nic was a little banged up from his battle and that he was lightly bruised all about.

"Yeah. My Pokémon and I were able to defeat them and drive them off as well." Nic then saw the shocked look on their faces. They were both stunned to hear that two Element Four members were defeated.

"You took down Juvia and Sol?!" Mira sounded like she was in deep shock, but who wouldn't.

Nic nodded. "Yeah, but I doubt that they'll accept this defeat. They said that they wanted Lucy, and I doubt that they'll stop until they have her." He indicated. Lucy looked down and couldn't help but wonder.

"I don't get it. Why is it that they want me?" Lucy narrowed her eyes, unable to solve the puzzle in her head.

Nic took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay Lucy. It's time for some answers."

Lucy and Mira looked at Nic with confused faces, wondering what Nic was asking for.

"Answers?" Lucy asked. The three then gathered and sat at a nearby table to hear what Nic had to say.

"Those guys told me that you were an 'heir' and that your father wanted Phantom to bring you back to him." Nic explained. Lucy's eyes were wide with shock as her father was pulling strings.

"H-how could my father do this?!" Lucy stuttered. She was clenching her fists in anger. Mira took noticed and looked concerned.

"Lucy, what is it about your father?" Mira asked her concerned friend. Lucy took a moment before answering.

"The truth is…I'm a runaway." She said. Nic went wide eyed that Lucy was a runaway as well. Mira looked on in curiosity. Lucy continued. "My family was rich, and my mother died when I was ten. My father was more concerned with his own business and money than me. He neglected me, and I took off about a year ago and he hasn't cared. Now he wants me back?! I hate him! He asks Phantom to do all this stuff and torture my friends just to get me to come home! He's a horrible man!"

"Lucy…" Mira saw a few tears fall from Lucy's face. Mir went to get a small towel to dry Lucy's face. Lucy continued to look down and let a few tears fall for awhile. Nic looked down at the table and drifted off into a pitiful thought.

He and Lucy were in the same boat. They were both runaways, both were neglected, and both were wanted to be taken back. After Mira came back with a small towel for Lucy, Nic turned to face Lucy.

"I get it." He said, making them both look at him. "Lucy, you and I had the same past. Let me tell you something…my parents hated my guts. They repeatedly beat me senseless as they simply pampered my little sister. I protected my sister, regardless of what happened. They always blamed me and that I don't deserve to be called a big brother or a son."

"Oh my god…" Mira and Lucy were horrified by Nic's story.

"At fifteen, I took off and started on my journey the night after my parents have almost destroyed me. It didn't take long for the authorities to find me, but I told them what they did to me, and I said it while my parents were there. On the spot, my parents threatened to kill me and my dad tried choking me. The two were sentenced to life in prison and my sister id being taken care of by the neighbors. She's doing far better now that she didn't have to see her big brother take the beating for her."

The two looked on with a mixture of shock and horror that Nic had it far worse than Lucy. Aside from the potential death Nic faced every day, his past was similar to Lucy's.

Lucy stopped crying and looked at Nic in pity. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay. I almost died a few times and suffered multiple scars that are barely noticeable on my back. Aside from that, I was fine. I did anything to protect Vanessa, even if she did it by accident."

A short silence eroded and Nic got up. "Well listen Lucy, you stay here and have Mira look after you. I need to check something out. Your father's gonna pay. This isn't your fault, remember that." Nic said. Lucy nodded slowly, still thinking none of this would've happened if she had just stayed home.

But that wasn't important. Right now is what mattered. Nic proceeded to get up and go back up the stairs and out of sight from the two girls.

Nic went out and back into the forest. The Plates from within him were at a slow vibration, starting up again after the battle. He walked a little bit as he had found the spot he was sitting previously and then sat back down in cross-legged form. He closed his eyes and let nature do the rest.

* * *

><p><strong>Phantom Lord<strong>

Fairy Tail was in a hasty retreat after Master Makarov was defeated and depleted of all of his magic. Despite wanting to get revenge, Natsu had to retreat because Erza urged him. She felt so useless and weak with the Master defeated. The entire guild ran off with Phantom chasing them away.

"Well, they're off." Gajeel noted, being upside down a wooden beam and observing Fairy Tail's retreat.

"They're retreating with sorrow in their eyes." Aira noted. He was a tall man who had a blindfold on. He had a green hat and a green cape that went over his yellow shirt. Aria also had a purple scarf going about his neck from both ends of his coat.

Gajeel flipped over and was right next to him. "Aria, I see that you're as creepy as ever, but I commend you on taking down their Master." The Iron Dragon Slayer commented.

"I was just following Master Jose's orders" He then started to cry. "It's so sad!"

"Why are you always crying? It's getting annoying." Gajeel said. "So, what's the staus?"

Aria stopped crying. "No word." The two then went away using Aria's Magic. They made their way over towards Phantom Lord's headquarters. It wasn't far from Oak Town, and it resided on a rocky hill. It was a large building that had an entrance that was topped with ornamental parts, with an arc held by two square pillars, completed with arched windows below it, and placed above the smaller arc of the door itself. To the right was an angled zone with several orders of large arched windows. To the left was a hexagonal tower fused with the building, with very high ornamental windows in groups of three in the lower part, with smaller and more numerous windows in its upper part. Each of the tower's angles was marked with a long, round pillar with bulges in correspondence to the architect of the building. The top ended with three long bulges. The top itself was a dome that consisted a protrusion similar to the columns. Behind the dome was the central part stood one more dome, smaller and topped with the guild flag on it. On the right of said dome was a flat and round platform. The most distinct qualities were the pair of towers on its sides of the front. They were very high and had many floors, eight to be more precise on each side. The top of the towers ended with pointed tiled roofs. There were four towers in all.

Inside, Gajeel and Aria met up with Jose, who was rather pleased with the results of the battle.

"Well, we've won this round." Jose noted.

"Yes, and we have them on the run. What do you want us to do?" Aria questioned.

Jose paused. "Wait until Sol and Juvia have returned with our targets…" They all then saw Sol and Juvia emerge from the ground right near them. To their shock, they were beaten to a pulp. Gajeel and Aria looked on in shock. Jose was wide eyed to see them all torn up.

"What happened?" Jose ordered. Sol and Juvia both got their knees and on their hands, trying to catch their breaths. After a few moments, Sol was bowing repeatedly as to where Juvia was still recovering her strength.

"Oh, monsieur. Je suis tres desolee! We have been defeated and mercilessly thrashed about!" Sol said. The others looked on in disbelief. Gajeel growled, thinking he knows who did this.

"Let me guess, was it _him_?" He asked.

Sol then got back to his knees, stopping his bowing. "Oui. He was much too powerful, and just as you have said Monsieur Gajeel, he had his set of monsters helping him. He and his large bird were much too formidable pour moi. Juvia was beaten hopelessly and I could not keep up with his accomplice. This is a disaster!"

Jose gritted his teeth, now in deep curiosity of what this guy was. First, Gajeel, and now two members of the Element Four. Jose was curious, but also annoyed.

"Did you capture our target?" Jose asked, trying to keep his cool.

"Ah, non! He made Mademoiselle Heartfilia make the getaway. He got there just as we were recovering her!" Sol explained.

Now Jose was annoyed. Now magic was surging all around him. Everyone took notice of this change of mood.

"Very well then. Master Makarov and his pose are left defenseless, but they still had their trump card hiding out back. I'm anxious to see what this guy has to show me. Get ready for battle! It's time that we finish this!"

* * *

><p><strong>Fairy Tail<strong>

Erza cursed herself for the umpteenth time already. She felt guilty that she wasn't there to aid Makarov in his battle. She felt a small tear run down her cheek, but quickly wiped it away so that she didn't look weak in front of everyone, of whom felt the same.

They all made their way back in the guild basement, they all were dejected and melancholy. They had suffered a defeat and they all gathered to tend to any injuries as well as formulating battle strategies.

Erza was in the shower, clenching her fists. She couldn't let go at the fact that she couldn't do anything with Makarov being tended at Porlyusica's place, which was a tree. She knew Jose must have done something to drain his magic, and she had to do what it takes to avenge him.

When they all got back, Lucy explained everything about how she was their target all along. How she was the target and her father wanted her back. She sat on a storage box with Natsu leaning on a wall right next to her.

"Being target by people are just one of the downsides of being rich, at least you're in the presence of a real _man_, like me." Elfman boasted.

Gray turned back, annoyed of Elfman's comment. "Hey, shut it already." Gray berated him.

"I've gotta say, I was shocked to hear you're a runaway." Happy said.

"There's no way I could've said that I was a runaway in casual conversation. I've been gone of a year and now my father wants me back. He's done all of those horrible things just to get me to go back. He's a monster…still, if I haven't run away in the first place, none of this would've happened." Lucy said, about to go on the verge of tears.

"C'mon, don't be ridiculous. Your dad's the one to blame." Elfman said.

"Idiot!" Gray said.

"Eh, I meant it was Phantom's fault!" Elfman corrected himself.

"No, it's my fault. All of this happened because of my selfish choices." Lucy wasn't feeling lifted at all by this situation.

"So what?" Natsu said. "I wouldn't picture you being the princess in her mansion. Laughing with us in the Guild Hall, going on adventures even when you freak out all the time. That's you. No running, because you belong with us. You're Lucy of Fairy Tail." Natsu had a fist in the air, proclaiming Lucy's stay. Lucy then started to cry.

"Oh please, no waterworks." Gray wined.

"Yeah. Real men are weak to tears." Elfman shuddered.

"I'm sorry!" Lucy cried. Loke looked on at Lucy from a distance, seeing her upset which made him bring back some painful memories.

Meanwhile, Cana was trying to locate Mystogan through her cards, but had no luck. She threw the cards all about.

"C'mon! I can't get a reading on where Mystogan is!" Cana complained. Mira looked back from her communication lacrima at the disturbed Cana.

"Oh dear, you did your best." She said.

"We've got too man wounded to put up a fight if Phantom comes back to get Lucy. And where the heck is Nic?"

"He said he needed to check something out." Mira said.

"Why is it taking him so long? I mean, if it's rest then it's understandable since he defeated Gajeel, and two of the Element Four, but to check something out isn't a suitable thing to go by." Cana noted.

"Mystogan is nowhere, and Master is wounded. You're the only one left. Please Laxus." Mira pleaded to the communication lacrima, which had Laxus communicating on the other end.

He looked annoyed. He then put a hand over his head. "Oh man, Gramps is freakin pathetic. Hahahaha. I don't see how this is remotely my problem. You're a big girl, so deal with it yourself!"

"So you're not gonna help us?!" Cana asked.

"Course not! Why would I?! Why would I clean up your guys' mess?!"

"Please Laxus, they want Lucy." Mira noted.

"Who? Do I even know her…oh wait, it's that blonde chick right? Tell you what, you talk her into being my woman and if Cana strips for me I'll do whatever she asks me to do." Laxus bargained.

"You pig!" Cana shouted.

"You wanna talk that way to a guy you're begging help from. Do me a favor, if that geezer lives, tell him he's out of his league and he should hand the guild over to me! Hahahaha!" Mira then shattered the lacrima out of anger. She then had tears running down all over her face.

"Why are people so cruel?" She sobbed.

Cana looked at Mira with deep concern. "Mira…"

"I don't understand. How could someone from Fairy Tail be so cruel?" Mira then turned around started to walk off. "I can't sit here and do nothing. I have to fight!"

Cana then tried to stop her. "I understand Mira. But even though you were an S-Class Wizard, you shouldn't put yourself in harm's way."

"I don't care. I want to protect Lucy and Fairy Tail." Mira said.

In the shower, Erza was still feeling down, but it wasn't like she could instantly cheer up. She then realized that she hasn't seen Nic ever since she got back. This left her even more discomforted. She was hoping to see Nic so that he could cheer her up, but no.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, in the forest…<strong>

Nic had been in the forest for a long time. He was becoming ever so slow in breathing. He was as still as a rock. Absolute zero movement, taking in everything that he could. Everything was just flowing into him. The wind, the air, the atmosphere. There was no limit as to what Nic could feel. He felt the earth beneath him vibrate with such life. He felt the grass against his jeans. He felt his Plates absorbing the energy and springing to life from within.

He felt himself getting more energy from earlier. Back from before he fought Juvia and Sol, he felt nature lending him a helping hand, and his Plates reacted ever so lively.

Nic had a pretty good assumption as to what might become of him if he kept this up.

One minute passed, and he felt as though everything was one. He now felt the energy blooming all about. His Plates vibrated ever so violently, and suddenly it stopped. Nic kept his mind with nature as he felt himself glow…

* * *

><p><strong>Fairy Tail<strong>

They felt the earth shake not too long after. Erza was just about finished in the shower when the entire still started to shake.

"What?" Erza wondered. She got out of the shower and wrapped herself in a pink towel. She then proceeded back to the basement, where the others were starting get all shaken up.

"What's going on?" Erza demanded.

"We don't know!" Elfman stated.

"Everyone outside, let's go!" Gray shouted. With no time to spare, everyone gathered whatever supplies they could get and went outside.

* * *

><p><strong>With Nic<strong>

Nic had his sunglasses on, with his V-neck now a jungle green t-shirt. His shoes were now sturdy jungle shoes. His jeans were now camo pants. His sleeveless coat was light green and the bottom had green grass going up to the back of his thighs.

His sunglasses glowed white while the rest of him was glowing green and sparking all over. Almost immediately, he was no one hundred percent full health. His calf and injuries from earlier were gone and now he was full of energy.

He felt the atmosphere change, sending a chill down his spine.

'_Phantom Lord, huh.'_ Nic had a feeling it was them. They were coming up by the shores and he could sense it from where he was at.

He got up on his two feet and stretched.

He smirked. "Guess it's time to join the fight."

* * *

><p><strong>How was that for foreshadowing? Don't get me wrong, you guys are putting a lot of ideas out there, but I want no Legendaries participating. <strong>

**I can't do any updates for the rest of the week because I got exams coming up. Add the fact that I alternate between stories. **

**Don't be afraid to let me know if you have an idea as to how Jupiter might be stopped, but I hatched an idea Friday night. If you guys have any say, let me know. Otherwise, I'm going with said idea.**

**So now you know four of Nic's pokémon, and another will be shown soon.**

**Please Favorite, Follow, & Review this story and/or chapter if you liked it. **

_**Review!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time: The Forces of Nature<strong>


	9. The Forces of Nature

Chapter 9 – The Forces of Nature

**Hey guys! I'm ready to begin another chapter for you all. Exams are done, and a new tri is going to start for me, and it's going to be easy for me.**

**Fun side note; I was watching a Fairy Tail Movie called **_**Fairy Tail the Movie: Phoenix Priestess **_**(English Dub), and I saw a part when Erza was fighting in a wedding gown. I found it funny when she got flustered when her defeated opponent asked if she was desperate for marriage. Makes you wonder if she really is.**

**Yes, last chapter was when Nic unlocked the Meadow Plate. I forgot to mention that. That Plate will be considered helpful in this fight.**

**ultima-owner: Close, you're idea is very close. **

**Guest: Good point you have with the Fairy Type, but no. I've made up my mind when I made the story and the future chapters wouldn't go as I would imagine them; however, I do recommend you read **_**Guardian Fairy **_**by Alpha Dragonis. ****It's super amazing, even better than mine, and has a Fairy Type in it.**

**A lot of you guys are curious as to what Nic's last two pokémon are. That's for me to know and for you to read. I will say this, if you read the A/N at the end of Chapter 5, it tells that Nic has unpopular pokémon. You knew this by seeing Kecleon, and maybe Staraptor. I've made up his entire team from when I created this story, and if one of them is changed, the story wouldn't be the same.**

**You'll see how Jupiter will be stopped. It's the only best and logical idea that came to my mind, so don't go hating me if it isn't what you wanted.**

**Time for the epic fight of pain!**

**To Recap:**

The entire Fairy Tail Guild ventures off towards Phantom Lord to avenge Droy and Jet. The only ones left behind were Levy, Lucy, Mira, and Nic. Nic went out to the woods to recover and felt a similar energy that reacted with his Plates. In a flash, he senses danger and rushes back to town and defeats Juvia and Sol with the help of his Staraptor, thus saving Lucy. Lucy explains that she's a runaway, much like Nic, and he goes back to the forest. The Fairy Tail Guild returns defeated and they were coming up with plans to fight back. Nic unlocks the Meadow Plate and senses Phantom Lord's arrival.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9 – The Forces of Nature<strong>

The entire Fairy Tail Guild ventured outside and looked out in horrific shock. Natsu, and everyone else for that matter, was wide eyed and almost shaking in their footwear.

"What is that thing?!" Natsu questioned.

What everyone saw was the entire HQ of Phantom lord on a huge heap of earth with enormous mechanical appendages. They were all super long, spider-like legs that protruded from the bottom of the earth heap, keeping the entire guild far above the water that they traveled on. With every step it took, the earth itself emanated a magnitude that made the land shook.

"Is that a Guild Hall with legs?" Happy shouted.

"No doubt, it's Phantom's!" Loke said. Everyone had fear and doubt in their eyes. This was an entire guild on legs!

"How the hell do we fight something like that?!" Wakaba shouted.

Erza was shivering in her pink towel, not just from being out of the shower, but from the dread running down her own spine.

"I never anticipated this. I never would've imagine them going to such extremes to attack us like this." Erza said.

The Phantom Lord HQ finally stopped moving and it rest its earth heap in the water. Inside the building, Jose was commanding everything. In his corridor, of which was commanding from his chair. There were four guys in that same room making modifications through seals. There was a large purple, red, blue, and yellow one over their heads.

"The Magic focusing cannon, Jupiter. Engage." He said in a calm manner, ordering his four men to activate Jupiter. The huge Jupiter lacrima was being filled with power, having a large sum of Magic energy swelling from four other lacrima around it.

The entire front of the upper half of the Guild Hall dropped down, revealing a super large canon. The cannon slowly lengthened out, making it almost twice as long as before stretching out. The tip of the cannon was conjuring up a massive charge that was dark purple.

There was no way Erza was going to let this happen to her fellow guild members. Still draped in her pink towel, she dashed forward.

"Erza!" Mira shouted.

"What are you doing?!" Macao yelled.

As Erza was dashing, she requiped out of her pink towel into another armor. It was a bulky, dark colored armor, which had a single blue chest plate with a light blue belt contraption around the waist. Three spikes lined the top of the chest plate that gives way to a white neck brace that split, which gives room for her chin. The shoulders are sectioned with a large spike dividing each section, with the middle spike being the largest of the three. The gauntlets had a few sections, one of which that attached the elbows to two large white shields. A blue jewel lined the back of her hands, and attached to the bottom of her chest plates was a two layer metallic skirt with small spikes hanging on the end of those two layers. A large spike hangs inward on the bottom layer. The legs were covered in sections, matching the armor with a pair of blue greaves at the knees. Several curved spikes attached just below the knees of the greaves. She had a large headdress atop with a reflective middle.

Happy recognized this armor right away. "I know that requip, that's her Adamantine Armor!"

"Is she going to try and block the shot?" Bisca wondered.

"There's no way her armor can hold against a blast so strong!" Alzack said.

"Stay back!" Erza warned, getting ready to block.

"Erza!" Natsu shouted. He tried reaching out to stop her, but was held back by Gray.

"We can't. We just gotta have faith in her!" Gray said, trying to restrain him.

The cannon then fired a huge beam at them. Erza locked her shield and braced for impact. Everyone was awaiting for the shockwave that they were all preparing for, but then they felt something from behind from behind.

A similar Jupiter blast fired from atop the Guild Hall. The dark purple energy unleashed its way over Erza's shield, getting her to drop her guard.

"What?" Erza asked as the dark beam raced its way and collided with the actual Jupiter blast. Everyone looked on in shock to see the two blasts smash into one another. Everyone covered up as the two energies made a massive explosion in the middle. There was a shockwave that spread through the air, and that made everyone fall back on their behinds. Erza didn't have her big shield seal up, but her actual shield was good enough to save her from the traveling shockwave. The explosion kept escalating until the air and water was flying everywhere. Everything was shaking and trembling from the amount of power unleashed from those two blasts. The entire thing went on for a good thirty or so seconds, but within those thirty seconds, almost everything was torn up. Water was everywhere, the ground that Fairy Tail was on was softer from the trembling of the earth. Fortunately, no one got hurt, and Jupiter was out of Magic power, as well as the other blast that traced back to the top of the Guild Hall.

"What the heck was that just now?" Natsu wondered, getting up with the rest of the guild. Erza was still standing, and she requiped into her Heart Kreuz Armor.

"I don't know." Erza said. On top the Guild Hall, the spacial hole has disappeared.

"So, you're the Mage that took down Phantom's Dragon Slayer and two of the Element Four." Jose said, trying to hold back his irritated behavior. "To be fair, I imagined you would be older."

"They all say that!" The voice said from up top the guild. Everyone turned around and looked up. They were shocked to hear that particular voice.

Erza quickly turned around to see what everyone was looking at. She felt a smile form on her face when she saw who it was that was standing on the Guild Hall. She honestly couldn't recall being so happy to see someone in all her life.

Nic was in his Sky Plate Form, having said used Mirror Move to copy and intercept Jupiter. Nic flew down from the roof and landed lightly. The guild made way as he was walked confidently towards Phantom Lord.

"I take it that you're Jose right? I'm Nic Pularis." He stated. Erza looked to see him passing her. He stopped in front of her and planted his feet firmly. She could tell he was dead serious.

"A pleasure to meet you young Pularis." Jose responded. "I applaud for your acts to stop my guild's constant raids, but it's sad to say that your time has come. You don't have the strength to take on all of Phantom Lord, so I suggest you be a good little guild and relinquish Lucy Heartfilia over to me."

Fairy Tail didn't take this demand very well.

"Like hell we would!" Alzack protested.

"We don't turn our family over to monsters like you!" Bisca added. Everyone the guild was yelling back at Jose now, stating Lucy's stay and for Jose to get lost.

"We would never betray her like that! You'll have to kill us first!" Erza yelled. Everyone backed her up on that one for sure.

"You ain't gonna get any other answers, because we're Lucy's family now and we're not handing her over to you!" Natsu roared.

Within the crowd, Lucy was shaking, and she was swelling up in tears. She was so glad to have such amazing support in Fairy Tail, and seeing how they would risk their lives to keep her with them.

"You guys…" Lucy murmured. Nic looked back at Lucy, seeing her swell with a mixture of joy and guilt. He stared for a good few seconds before turning back.

"Alright pal, listen and listen good." Nic walked up and did yet another Form Change. He shifted from his Sky Plate Form into his new Meadow Plate Form, shocking Erza and the others. "This can go two ways: Either we kick your sorry ass to oblivion, or we forget this whole mess and never see each other again. Which do you prefer?"

Jose got up in frustration. He gritted his teeth and growled at the implication of Nic's threat.

"Are you threatening me?! No one threatens a Wizard Saint boy! Don't you know the first thing about authority?!" Jose roared.

Nic crossed his arms. "Yeah…it's stupid, like you."

"Prepare Jupiter! You got fifteen minutes to hand her over or you'll be punished!" This was Jose's final warning. This got everyone in a stir.

"Oh no, is he gonna fire that thing again?" "We can't take another shot!" "What do we do?"

"Is he for real?! He's going to fire Jupiter again!" Macao exclaimed. They all then witnessed Jose unleashing his phantom soldiers down on them. There was a vast number of them coming at them with force.

Nic then emanated a green aura. "Let's give this new Form a spin. **Petal Blizzard!**" A huge hurricane of green wind and petals and glowing leaves then scattered about and blasted through half of the entire shade army. Everyone looked on in shock of his huge power. Even Erza was stunned by his raw power.

However, they were all re-emerging and looked as though nothing happened. "Well…this might be an issue." Nic said casually. He then turned to Natsu. "Natsu, you and Happy get up there and smash Jupiter like you do anything else!"

Natsu cracked his Natsu and grinned. "Like you have to ask! C'mon Happy!" Happy then spread his wings and took Natsu with him.

"Aye sir!" The two then rushed up to the canon.

Nic then turned to look at everyone else. "Elfman, Gray, Erza, time to storm that giant trash heap!"

"You got it!" Grayt said, running.

"We're taking that thing run like real men!" Elfman shouted.

"Let's do it!" Erza said.

"Cana, Macao, Wakaba, Bisca, Alzack, I leave the guild to you!" Nic shouted, as though he was in charge, probably because he was.

"Right, we'll do our best!" Cana shouted. Lucy then came up to him just before he was about to dash forward in the raid.

"Wh-what about me?" Lucy asked with a tear coming down her face, but she did show determination. Nic saw that she wanted to help, but he had to think of her safety. Nic placed a hand on her shoulders.

"Lucy, I need you to find cover. Mira will help you." Nic said, with Mira stepping forward.

The blonde shook her head. "No! I can't watch as my comrades fight for me! I want to help!"

Nic then looked down at her hand, and he softened his eyes. "Tell me Lucy, what is that on your hand?"

"It's…my Fairy Tail Emblem." Lucy said, somewhat surprised, yet confused.

Nic nodded. "Right. We all bear this emblem together. It means we're family, and that means we'll do anything to keep this family whole. This doesn't concern just you Lucy, it concerns us all. We have to do our part in this battle, and we need you to do yours. We'll show them just how our bonds keep us united and how we will win with those bonds."

At the end of his speech, everyone was cheering in agreement. Erza was in awe of how wise Nic was. Obviously he was knowledgeable to a great extent. She wonders what else Nic had been through. He would put his life on the line to defend his own, just like he did with his sister.

"Okay." She quietly said. She didn't like it, but Nic was just looking out for her. Everyone was.

"Come on, let's go." Mira said, escorting Lucy. Lucy looked back at Nic. "Make sure you come back okay!"

Nic looked on as Lucy was taken somewhere safe. He then got out a poke ball and he had it open in his hand so as to not get as much attention.

"Kecleon, get out here." Nic said, with the Color Swap Pokémon being summoned in front of him.

"Yes, Nic?" Kecleon asked her trainer in her usual weird voice with a tilted head. Nic leaned in and lowered his voice as the shades drew ever so near and everyone was yelling at them, getting ready to attack. Although, everyone was there, so it's not like they weren't watching why Nic called out another pokémon.

"I need you to follow Lucy. Keep her safe. If any Phantom Lord goons go after her, stop them quick, and make sure your presence is low key." Nic explained. He had a bad feeling about the future, and he had to do something about the safety of Lucy. If anyone can defend with stealth, Kecleon's the weirdo for the job. Kecleon then instantly turned invisible, excluding the red stripe, and fled as fast as a rocket. Hardly anyone noticed it being gone that fast. Some people were amazed by that speed, but they had to refocus on the task at hand. Nic then turned and charged straight for the Phantom Lord HQ, along with Elfman, Gray, and Erza.

"**Ice Make: Floor!**" Gray shouted. He then coated the water in ice so that they could reach the Phantom HQ. From there, he made a staircase that trailed upwards to the guild entrance. They should catch up to Natsu in no time if they keep a fast pace throughout the place.

* * *

><p><strong>With Mira and Lucy<strong>

Mira had Lucy get taken to safety by Reedus. When they were out of sight by Reedus riding a carriage he created with his magic, Mira turned and used her Transformation Magic and transformed into Lucy, just to make a façade.

'_I may not be able to do Satan Soul, but there are other ways that I can help. I'll do what I can to help the others.' _She thought in determination to save her friends.

Reedus had taken Lucy to a disclosed warehouse, where they were being held protected. Reedus sat down, as did Lucy, and she just sulked.

"I really wanted to help the guys. It makes me guilty seeing them fight for me." Lucy said. Reedus was painting a self-portrait of her sulking, but was well aware of the circumstances the young Celestial Mage was in.

"Don't worry. It's just as Nic said, we're all in this together. Your burden is our burden, and we will save you regardless of whatever happens to us." Reedus said.

Lucy got up and sighed. "I know that this isn't fair, I should be out there-!" She stopped in mid-sentence when the warehouse shook.

"What was that?!" Lucy exclaimed. They both turned to see the warehouse doors being rammed and dented with a hard object from the other side. The two backed away with their guard up. The door burst open with Gajeel leading two other Mages.

"Hehehe. Well well, a fat guy and a blonde. Time to snatch and grab." Gajeel said, hanging upside down from the ceiling.

"It's over tubby. Just give up Lucy Heartfilia." The female Mage said.

"Our boss is rather impatient." The other Mage said.

Reedus was about to draw some creatures on his stomach and use his magic to defend Lucy, but then something happened in a blink of an eye.

Nobody saw it coming. It was a red striped blur that took down the two subordinates with one strike each. They fell, out for the count. Gajeel took this by surprise, for even he didn't see that coming.

"But how?" Gajeel asked as he jumped and landed with ease. He turned and didn't see anything. He then turned to face the two mages.

"What game are you playing?" Gajeel demanded to know.

In the shadows, he heard a voice; in fact, everyone heard it.

"It's a game called Hide and Seek!" The creepy female voice said. Gajeel turned here and there, wondering where on Earthland was that voice coming from. He turned his back and was hit with a Slash from behind, causing him to fall forward. Kecleon then reappeared in front of everybody. Lucy and Reedus were shocked to see this creature.

"What the? What are you?" Gajeel demanded to know. Kecleon's only response was her head tilting before lunging at Gajeel. Gajeel tried to counterattack with his Iron Dragon's Sword, but Kecleon ducked and used Shadow Sneak as an uppercut. Gajeel flew back, surprised of this creature's reflexes and speed. This thing the Iron Dragon Slayer was facing was very strong.

"Lucy, you and Reedus get out of here. This guy is nothing compared to me." Kecleon said. The two then pieced it all together. This one was on their side and she was stalling for Reedus and Lucy to escape.

"Wait…I know you. You're one of Nic's pokémon!" Lucy exclaimed. Kecleon looked back and nodded. Gajeel narrowed his eyes, thinking back to what he went up against not too long ago. He remembered the guy and his flaming dragon took him down. He also recounted him having a ninja frog. Upon realizing this was another one of Nic's helpers, Gajeel gritted his teeth.

"So, that Nic guy sent a lizard to deal with me, huh?" Gajeel said, cracking his knuckles. "My prime objective is to take the girl, but that guy owes me a rematch. Like hell I'll let this opportunity pass by."

Kecleon tilted her head. "You shall not pass!"

Lucy and Reedus were both making their getaway, as to where Kecleon stayed put and dealt with her adversary.

Gajeel smirked. "Time for some payback. **Iron Dragon's Roar!**" Gajeel send a tornado of iron at Kecleon, who was able to evade it by lunging to her right and started to turn invisible, hiding among the storage boxes.

"You can't hide from me you coward!" Gajeel then unleashed more of his Iron Dragon's Roar to shatter the boxes. Kecleon was able to duck once more, avoiding the flying boxes. After the hysteria of boxes had ended, Kecleon looked up to see Gajeel in front of her. With a quick reflex, she jumped and used Thief, hitting him on the shoulder, but Gajeel felt hardly anything and swatted her off.

"Come on, is that really the best you can do?" Gajeel asked, unimpressed by Kecleon's inability to scratch him. Kecleon grunted.

'_Curses! He's like a Steel Type of sorts. My attacks won't do much on him.' _Kecleon thought. _'I'm going to have to butter this toast!'_

Kecleon then used Screech, emanating red shockwaves at Gajeel. Gajeel was wide eyed at the level of frequency this attack was, and he covered his ears to keep the frequency out.

"Gah! What is this?!" Gajeel said, having his ears plugged by his hands. Kecleon rushed in, now finished with Screech, and used Slash on a defenseless Iron Dragon Slayer. Gajeel opened his eyes, relieved to have the attack finished, but was cut off guard with the Slash he just took. He fell back and skid a few feet.

"That's how I butter my toast!" Kecleon said, using the simile of butter and toast with Screech and Slash.

Gajeel got back up and growled. "**Iron Dragon's Club!**" His attack managed to hit Kecleon hard, which made her skid back several feet; fortunately, she was able to block with her arms, meaning her body didn't get as hurt as it was suppose to.

Kecleon smirked, thinking this was perfect.

"What are you so happy about?" Gajeel wanted to know.

"Because I took that one on purpose." She said with her weird voice in a serious tone. Gajeel narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"What?"

"Let me tell you this. I have Color Change, meaning that attack you just hit me with made my Type change. Considering you're relatively close to Steel Types from where I came from, that means I become a Steel Type."

Gajeel was having a hard time figuring out what she meant by that, and frankly he didn't care. "Look pal, I have no clue what you are talking about, but all I know is that you're not getting away with this!" He then used his Iron Dragon's Roar and almost obliterated the wall. Gajeel smirked, thinking that one blow did the trick. He was shocked to see his adversary still standing. "But how?! My Iron Dragon's Roar shatters everything it hits!"

Kecleon was walking forward with only a few scratches. "Like I said, you shall not pass. And did I forget to mention that my Special Defense is really high?" Kecleon was walking forward, readying a Slash.

Gajeel wasn't going to take this. He lunged at her with an Iron Dragon's Sword. The two attacks made contact, sending sparks everywhere. The moving points grinded along with lengthened sharp claws of Kecleon, with neither side calling it quits.

"You don't scare me!" Gajeel roared. He then used an Iron Dragon's Club with his other arm and rammed Kecleon, sending her into a nearby wall, he dragged his lengthy club along the wall with Kecleon being dragged as well. Eventually, he slammed her into a huge pile of boxes and watched as she crashed into them. After some sawdust and debris cleared, Kecleon was seen struggling to get up. She tried to get up, she took a lot of damage, regardless of her Type being changed. She coughed and got to her feet.

She saw Gajeel grinning very demonically at her. He was trying to intimidate her, and it was working.

She could recall the situation being just as bad a couple of years ago. That day, she had the confidence to triumph.

_It was a great day, though it was cloudy. In the Pokémon League corridors. Nic was facing Wikstrom, who was much like a knight. He was on his last pokémon, Aegislash. It was in its offensive form, and it had sustained not much damage. Kecleon, on the other hand, had taken a massive beating. Taking on Aegislash wasn't the best option after being with its Sacred Sword. She was just about ready to fall flat on her face, but still pressed on._

"_Use Shadow Sneak!" Nic shouted. Kecleon did as told and stretched out her shadow to attack._

"_**King's Shield!**__" Wikstrom ordered. Aegislash then changed its stance to a more defensive look, with the sword behind the shield. It then created a strong barrier that Shadow Sneak couldn't get past. _

_Nic grunted, thinking how stubborn this pokémon was. Wikstrom wasn't one of the Elite Four for nothing, that's for sure._

"_Aegislash, __**Iron Head! **__Show them that thou has been honorable in battle, and shall finish this through with dignity!" Wikstrom commanded. Aegislash followed through, with the pointed tip of his head now enveloped in a coat if iron. It did a Stance Change and went straight at Kecleon._

_If this hits, it would be lights out for Kecleon. Kecleon wasn't sure if she could do such a thing. She was sure that if she dodged, she might still have a chance, but then it might get hit with another Sacred Sword._

_Suddenly, she heard Nic take a deep breath. She looked back to see him as calm as the placid sea. She couldn't believe that she was being terrified and that Nic wasn't. After this past year and few months, what was she doing? She's grown so much, and she was going to let it all end here? Her mentally weird mind was stirring with the past, with the numerous battles, the teaching of moves, the bonds shared. Kecleon was taking it all in, in a two second time span._

'_Nic. You show no fear. You can stay calm, and I should follow. It took me this long to realize that I should be doing this too.' She thought. 'After all of this time, it's time to step up, and knock down this mighty oak and sprout a new fresh oak!' Despite her being quirky, Kecleon was serious on the inside. Her weirdness just interprets it differently. She knew this was no time to slack off. She leaped at the last second and landed safely._

"_Kecleon." Nic shouted. "Even the toughest of armor can be worn down! We're going to shatter his Defense with some sharp tools of our own!"_

_Kecleon turned and heard Nic. She had never forgotten that saying._

"_Use Screech!" Nic shouted. Kecleon then emanated a red shockwave and Aegislash quivered, seeing as it had no ears, but the vibrations ran through its body harshly._

"_Use Sacred Sword!" Wikstrom shouted. The long blade then stretched with a large amount of energy. That energy concentrated into a longer blade. Aegislash then tilted its body and brought down the mighty sword onto Kecleon._

"_**Screech!**__" Nic commanded. Kecleon then emanated more red shockwaves. As the sword was coming down, Aegislash felt more vibrations going through itself, throwing off its aim. The attack missed by a few feet, shattering the ground that was right next to Kecleon._

"_My word! His Kecleon has avoided my assault!" Wikstrom noted. _

_Aegislash got back up and glared at Kecleon deeply. Wikstrom then ordered another Sacred Sword, of which was coming at Kecleon sideways. Nic has Kecleon dodge by jumping. He asked her to do one last Screech._

'_Fear me!' She emanated one more Screech, causing Aegislash to shiver harshly from all of the vibrations it felt. It was shivering and quivering uncontrollably. _

'_The tools are all sharpen.'_

_Wistrom had Aegislash then use Iron Head, which it followed through with. Nic found this to be the right opportunity._

"_**Thief!**__ Now!" Nic yelled. Kecleon then charged at Aegislash and the two attacks collided. With Aegislash's Defense way down, the two were at an even standpoint. Kecleon's strength was probably getting the upper hand, since Thief is super effective on Aegislash. It was tough to see who would come out on top, Iron Head or Thief. After a few moments, Kecleon took this opportunity and grabbed its shoulders. This had caught Aegislash in a state of shock. _

"_What?!" Wikstrom shouted. Aegislash tried trying away, but Kecleon refused to let go. She held her ground and saw Aegislash struggle to pry itself free from Kecleon's claws. "Get out of there!"_

'_Time to cut down this oak.'_

"_Now, __**Shadow Sneak!**__" Nic shouted. Kecleon screamed as it made its shadow lung into Aegislash, ramming it right in the eye straight up. It didn't even had time to do King's Shield, and Kecleon had let go, watching her Shadow Sneak soar high into the air, sending Aegislash with it. Wikstrom watched in shock as the Shadow Sneak went so high up. The attack smashed Aegislash into the ceiling, causing a tremor and some rocks to fall. After a few moments, the shadow ceased and Aegislash started to fall, leaving a cracked roof. Aegislash crashed into the earth, right next to a piece of debris that fell from earlier. It had fainted with no doubt._

'_And thus sprouts a new oak.' Kecleon turned and smiled, seeing how she grew to be such a fine and now confident weirdo. She then finished by tilting her head._

Now Kecleon was going to do just that – shatter that armor.

She frowned and looked at Gajeel dead in the eye, now back on her feet. She had no fear to show. She leaned forward and looked as though she was about to sprint towards Gajeel.

"I will butter this toast if it's my last breath!" Kecleon shouted, proclaiming her stand against Gajeel. Gajeel was really anxious now. He then transformed into his Iron Dragon Scales just to make thing go his way. He gritted his teeth and then the two lunged at one another.

"**Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!**"

"**Slash!**"

The two went back to back assaults on one another. Kecleon kept up with Gajeel for a good thirty seconds. When Gajeel went to strike once more, Kecleon leaned to her left and jumped.

"**Screech!**" She did a mid-air attack, making red shockwaves vibrate at such a high frequency. Gajeel's Dragon Scales didn't make it any easier for him, as the vibrations made his scales almost quiver, this making him shake. He tried drowning out the sound, but his iron body absorbed it. She flipped over him and landed behind him. Gajeel recovered quickly, but he felt uneasy from that Screech. He turned and used an Iron Dragon's Club. Kecleon ducked and dashed left.

"Don't run away from me! **Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!**" He made a Magic Seal and out shot forth iron spears at her. Kecleon evasively maneuvered her way and dodged with a series of flips and more dashing. Kecleon then closed in on Gajeel and jumped over his head. Gajeel looked up, only to get hammered with an over-the-head Screech. He felt every iron nerve in his body shake and vibrate atrociously. He felt as though he was sensitive to the touch. His scales felt all worn out from the immense vibrations. Gajeel got to a knee as Kecleon landed in front of him and swiftly leaped a distance away for her adversary to take a breath.

"The…heck…my body...doesn't…feel sturdy." Gajeel stuttered, feeling off. Kecleon was ready to end this show. She got ready for one more Slash. Then, she charged full speed at Gajeel. Gajeel then create an Iron Dragon's Sword and the two attacks mad contact. The sword was trying to surpass Slash, but due to Screech dropping Gajeel's Defense to its minimum the sword shattered with Slash following through.

"Impossible!" Gajeel shouted. He was then struck with Slash, with Kecleon posing right behind him. Gajeel didn't yelp, but he felt his body drop to his knees again. A large fraction of his abdomen scales were slashed off and there were claw marks going at an angle. He looked in shock as he winced in pain.

"How did you…?" Gajeel struggled to look back, but then saw that Kecleon wasn't there. He turned his head back to find Kecleon in front on his face.

"You so done! **Shadow Sneak!**" Kecleon then unleashed her shadow from straight underneath Gajeel. The shadow sprang up and rammed Gajeel in his abdomen. Gajeel gagged and howled in agony as his defenses were shattered completely. He soared upwards, straight through the ceiling. His lackeys became conscious just in time to see Gajeel get send through the roof of the warehouse. The two looked to see that Kecleon was overpowering Gajeel. The shadow ceased and Gajeel came soaring downwards. He was about to crash into the earth and then Kecleon used Thief in mid-air and rammed into him, sending flying through the broken wall of the building and into the streets. His lackeys both looked in shock and disbelief as Gajeel had been defeated, again.

"B-boss was defeated!" The male Mage said. The two looked back to see the Kecleon tilting her head and glaring at them. They were both creeped out and scared.

"We've gotta get out of here, and get boss some iron!" The female Mage exclaimed. Gajeel's Dragon Scales were shattered all over his body, and he was barely conscious. The two got up and dragged Gajeel back to Phantom Lord, hoping to get him a speedy recovery with some iron.

Kecleon watched as they went off back to the guild, almost limping. She smiled.

"And that is how I butter my toast." She then turned and looked in the other direction, where Reedus and Lucy might had ran off.

'_I hope those two made it safe.'_ She then turned and tilted her head. "I like grapes. They're my fruits of labor."

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, in Phantom Lord…<strong>

Elfman, Gray, Erza, and Nic were all running through the halls of the Phantom Lord HQ. They needed to find a way to stop this place before it unleashed another weapon if they had one. Jupiter was bad enough, think if they had something worse than that. Jupiter might not be his only resort, so it's best to say Jose has more tricks up his sleeve.

"Get ready guys. There's a large group that's going to ambush us at the next turn." Nic informed his comrades.

"How can you be so sure?" Gray asked.

"When I'm in my Meadow Plate Form, I take in all of my surroundings. Nature is by my side, and I can sense a lot of properties in a vast area." Nic pointed out.

The other three couldn't help but be in awe. Being able to sense an enemy from such a distance was a very convenient advantage. They wondered what else Nic could do.

"Gray, as soon as I soften them up, you give them a welcome gift!" Nic instructed the Ice Make Mage.

"What do mean by that-?!" Gray didn't get an answer as Nic stretched out his arms and Vine Whip came from his sleeves. He used one vine to grab onto the above chandeliers, and used the other one to grab Gray. Nic reeled himself up and then swung his way towards another chandelier.

They reached the corner, and turned. There, Nic quickly reeled himself to another chandelier before the group saw them. The enemy group was startled. They expected them to arrive on foot, but Nic dooped them. As Nic swung from chandelier to chandelier, he inhaled and blew out a huge cloud of orange sparkly dust on the entire group, just before they could do their spells. They all had sparks going about their bodies and they became paralyzed. Gray knew instantly what Nic meant right after his Stun Spore paralyzed the group.

In mid-air, Nic whipped Gray at the group and let go of him. Gray brought his hands together as he went soaring downwards.

"**Ice Make: Hammer!**" A huge ice hammer was then made and Gray swung at the literally stunned group. The mages had no chance as Gray ploughed through them with ease.

Nic landed right next to him just as Erza and Elfman had caught up. As they continued to press forward, they were just about to reach to Jupiter room, when a massive explosion was heard, shaking the place.

"The heck?" Gray said.

"It sounds like Natsu's having a ball with that Jupiter Cannon." Elfman said. They made only a few steps when the entire building was shaking. They saw the room behind them just disappear and the floor shifted as well. The building was changing.

The rumbling stopped after a few minutes. Nic and the others felt as though the building had changed drastically. They saw the Jupiter room up ahead and saw the ground heavily cracked and several lacrima pieces destroyed. They also saw Natsu and Happy confronted by some guy with black and white hair.

Natsu looked as though his motion sickness was kicking in, which wasn't good.

"Gray! Elfman!" Nic ordered. Both sprang into action.

"Prepare to die, Dragon Slayer!" The Fire Mage yelled, ready to finish off Natsu. He then took note that his body was being coated in ice, nullifying any chance of escape or movement. "Hey, what's going on?" He was talking even though he was frozen in ice, illogical but nobody cared.

Elfman then changed his arm into some scaly lizard beast arm. "You're no man, you're an upward shooting crystal ball!" He then punched him to who knows where.

"That makes no sense!" The Fire Mage shouted. As soon as he was out of sight, Natsu was slowly getting up, recovering from his unfortunate motion sickness.

"Nice job, you guys." Natsu said.

"You guys are so awesome!" Happy shouted, glad that Elfman and Gray came just in time.

The two look down at their friends.

"Natsu, what you did was just sad." Gray said.

"Yeah. That shift from just now should've been motion sick of you." Elfman said, his arm changing back to itself. Nic and Erza joined up with them.

"So I take it that you showed that Jupiter Cannon that you're the boss, yes Natsu?" Nic asked, knowing that's how it went down.

"You bet!" Natsu replied. Happy then flew out of the broken chamber and took a good look at what happened.

He noticed that the entire building. Happy was in shock to see not only a giant golden seal, but the entire guild itself turned into a humungous giant.

"Holy cow! The entire Guild Hall transformed into a giant!" Happy shrieked once he got back to the others. "And what's worse, that thing is making a giant spell!"

Erza narrowed her eyes. "A giant spell? Could it be…" Erza was saying stuff and then trailed off, thinking what it was.

"Erza?" Gray asked. Erza looked back up and kept her composure. "It's casting the Abyss Break."

Everyone, except Nic, was taken back by this development. By everyone's reaction, Abyss Break sounds like a dangerous spell.

"I take it that it's dangerous?" Nic questioned the Requip Mage.

"Yes, and by the size of it, we can say that it will wipe out all of Magnolia." Erza indicated. Nic was wide eyed at this development now. He had a hunch that Jose had something up his dreadful sleeves, and his hunch was right.

"So what do we do now?! We can't stand here and wait for that thing to fire!" Natsu shouted impatiently.

Nic turned to Natsu. "Relax, we just need to figure out what makes the Abyss Break work." He then turned to Erza. "What else is there about the Abyss Break?"

"It's comprised of four elements: Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. The Abyss Break gets its power from those four elements." Erza said.

Nic then had a realization. Je went wide eyed as he recalled the Element Four. If he recalled correctly, Juvia and Sol were members of the Element Four, and that guy that they defeated just now must have been another member.

"Oh, duh." Nic said. This got everyone's attention. "The Element Four must be powering this thing. Since they all have the attributes that Abyss Break needs, it's safe to say that they're the ones that need to be defeated in order for Abyss Break to stop." Nic said.

Everyone was in shock. This was the whatever time that Nic had astounded the group. Erza didn't think of this earlier. She had no idea Nic was this perceptive when it came to reasoning.

"Wait, so how do we stop the rest of the Element Four? We don't even know where to look!" Natsu had a point. They didn't know how they'll come across them or when.

"Well, our best bet is to split up and cover more ground." Nic said. With no one throwing out counterarguments, they followed through with Nic's plan and started for the nearest hallway.

* * *

><p><strong>With Mira and the others<strong>

Down on the battlefield, Jose's shades were getting the upper hand. Mira, still transformed into Lucy, was in the broken Guild Hall, while Cana tried conversing on the other side. They tried to think as to how they should take action.

"How long until the Abyss Break activates?" Can questioned Mira through a boarded wall.

"I'd say ten minutes if not sooner." Mira said.

"I'm sure the guys inside are looking for that thing's power source. Nic, Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Elfman are all up there stopping it as we speak." Cana's words made Mira's eyes shot wide open upon hearing her brother taking action.

"Elfman?!" Mira exclaimed.

"What's the big deal? He was one of our best fighters in the raid earlier." Cana pointed out. Regardless, Mira was still concerned of her brother.

"Grunts are one thing, but if he went up against Phantom's strongest…I don't think he can handle it." Mira didn't sound all that confident in Elfman due to past experience. Cana remembered all too well the trauma she and Elfman had to endure in regards of their sister Lisanna.

"…I understand. After everything you two went through. I think this is his way of leaving the past behind and moving forward." Cana explained. Mira then looked down, deeply contemplating about how she should resolve this dilemma. After a few moments, she had to move forward as well. She left the building and went out on the battlefield.

"Mira, what are you doing?" Cana called out to her disguised friend.

"Don't do it!" Bisca shouted. Mira just kept walking forward out to the battlefield. Jose looked out and saw "Lucy" walk out. He smirked, thinking things will work in his favor. One of his fellow assistance then came into his room and took note.

"Sir, didn't you send Gajeel after her?" He asked. Jose frowned, thinking he had a point. He then turned back and looked at his assistant.

"Why yes, I did. Was he successful, I take it?" Jose said, thinking that things wren't as they seemed to be.

"No sir. Gajeel was defeated by one of Nic's creatures. He's back and started to make a fast recovery."

Jose was gritting his teeth. Now he was certain that this Lucy in front was a fraud. The real one had gotten away and Gajeel was defeated…again. His assistance started to freak out because they could see the foul Magic energy around him, showing how displeased he was.

"That Nic and his creatures have interfered one too many times! Young Pularis will have to meet me sooner than he will expect."

Back outside, "Lucy" was issuing a surrender. Jose didn't buy it one bit.

"Nice try. I know Lucy Heartfilia isn't here, so you can cut the transformation." Jose announced, much to Mira's shock. Seeing how she was seen through, she transformed back into herself, clenching her fists.

A green seal then appeared under Mira, pulling her under. She screamed as she was transported somewhere.

"Mira!" Cana shouted. Mira was then shown to be in the clutches of the big giant, wedged between two of its fingers.

"Did you think your little parlor trick could fool me?" Jose sneered from within the giant.

"Mira!" Cana shouted. She couldn't do anything from where she was at now. She looked up at Mira, hoping for the best. _'You guys, hurry.'_

* * *

><p><strong>With Nic and the others<strong>

The group was about to come across another forty or so Mages up ahead, though they were unfazed due to Nic being able to sense them from earlier. Erza requiped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. She summoned twenty or so swords and launched them ahead, cutting the members into half. She then requiped back into her usual armor.

"**Beast Arm: Iron Bull!**" Elfman's right arm then morphed into a big gauntlet made of iron.

Nic used Vine Whip to grab Elfman's other arm and hurled him into the rest of them. The Mages toppled over like bowling pins. A perfect strike with no spares.

"Agh! I didn't get to set ablaze to any of those guys! Nic, I want to kick butt as well!" Complained Ntsu.

"Quit it. Now's not the time for your antics!" Nic scolded, getting him to flinch from his authority.

"He's right. We need to keep moving." Gray advised.

The four ran ahead to see Elfman embedded in a wall at the far end of the corridor with spirals for eyes.

"Eh…I think I threw him a little too hard." Nic mumbled. It only took a moment for the Take Over Mage to shake off his dizziness and come back to reality.

He glared at Nic with distaste. "Next time, I throw you!"

The Multitype Mage put his hands up as a gesture that he didn't mean to. "Sure, fine." He responded casually.

They all then saw that the corridor branched off into various hallways. Each looked as though it would lead to somewhere. It was safe to bet that it would be the Element Four.

Nic also sensed a familiar presence somewhere. He sighed, realizing what it was. He turned to face Natsu.

"Hey, Natsu." Nic said. "I detected Gajeel. He's st the top of the building. He's probably recovering from when he tried to kidnap Lucy earlier."

This news made everyone stand on edge. "What?! He tried to kidnap Lucy?!" Natsu shouted.

Nic nodded. "Yes, but I don't sense Lucy here, meaning that Kecleon defeated Gajeel. If I had to guess, I'd say he's eating iron to get back up to speed." He then turned to Elfman. "Also, I detected Mirajane here as well. She's somewhere down there." He then pointed down a hallway that was left of them.

"They have Mira?!" Elfman shouted. Nic nodded in response.

"Elfman, you go and save Mira. The rest of us will stop the rest of the Element Four; however, I would assume that one of them is down there where you might be going, so stay alert." Nic advised. Elfman mad no haste in dashing down a hallway on their left.

"Alright, I'm coming for you Gajeel!" Natsu roared. He engulfed himself in flames and shot upwards, burning through the ceiling and onto the next floor until he was escalating to the top. As soon as Natsu was out of sight, Nic grabbed one of his poke balls and tossed it upwards.

"Come on out!" Nic shouted. The energy then transformed into a cobra-like pokémon with a pattern on its belly. Everyone looked in shock to see another new creature that Nic has just now shown. Arbok hissed and turned to Nic.

"Nic-ssssama, what isssss it that you dessssire me to do?" The Cobra Pokémon asked his trainer in how he may serve him. Compared to normal Arboks, he was very mild and very obedient to Nic and does whatever he is ordered to do.

It's when he doesn't address to Nic is when he gets nasty.

"I need you to follow Natsu upwards. The odds are that Gajeel won't be the only one up there, so I need you to take care of any goons that may be helping him. Don't be afraid to assist Natsu if he's in a tight spot as well; however, leave most of the brawling to him and help if the time seems fit." Nic ordered in detail, making sure Arbok gets everything that he has said.

"Asssss you wish." Arbok hissed. It then slowly retracted its body backwards and bared its fangs. It then sprang forward and slithered in a blink of an eye down the hallway leading up to where Natsu was heading. Everyone looked in shock to see how fast Arbok's reflexes were. He was fast. Since when aren't any of Nic's pokémon fast?

"Geez, that one's a bit scary." Happy noted, which caught Nic by surprise.

"That's funny. Because his ability is Shed Skin. If it were Intimidate, that would be understandable." He implied. With no room to discuss the concept of abilities, Happy flew up through the burned ceilings to catch up with his pal.

In the meantime, Gray went down another hallway and Erza stayed by Nic's side.

"What about you? If possible, there's a good chance that one of us will be encountering someone who's not an Element Four." Erza noted.

Nic paused, knowing full-well that he knows where to find a certain person. "Trust me, I think Jose is interested in me only."

Erza went wide eyed, knowing that Nic will be going up against Jose.

"Are you blind? Nic, he's a member of the Ten Wizard Saints. His power is far too lethal for you alone!" She protested.

"Who says that I'm alone?" Nic asked in a calm manner. He got out a poke ball and out came Greninja, who was ready for battle.

"I don't think the two of you should be doing this. He's too powerful." Erza had a point. His power was something to behold.

Nic turned back to face her. "We won't know unless we try; besides, stopping Jose will stop this entire war. Greninja and I can do this Erza." Nic said.

There was a long silence, but Erza could see that Nic won't argue since there wasn't any time to argue anyway. All she could do was just hope that he will be alright.

"Okay Nic, we leave Jose to you." Erza spoke. With that said and done, Nic and Greninja dashed down a hallway, leaving Erza to sprint down the last remaining one.

'_Nic, you better come back after this is all over.' _Erza thought, starting to worry about Nic. For some reason, the thought of seeing Nic get hurt in front of her was almost too much to bear. Something in her was making her feel all jumpy and fluttery inside. She had to restrain every impulse that told her to run back to Nic, almost as though she had forgotten to give Nic something. A hug maybe?

She had to put these strange feelings aside for now and continue on with the mission at hand. As much as she would love to keep thinking about this desire to get back to Nic, she pressed onwards down the hall.

* * *

><p><strong>With Elfman<strong>

"Mira!" He shouted repeatedly. He didn't see any sign of her. Maybe Nic's senses weren't as good? He still kept running down the hall, hoping to find some answers. He stopped when he felt like he stepped on something. He turned around and saw that Monsieur Sol had emerged from underneath.

"Salut!" The member of the Element Four greeted. "Comment ca va? I am Sol, Monsieur Sol!"

"Ask me if I care! All I want to know is where you're keeping Mira. **Beast Arm: Black Bull!**" His arm then transformed into an even bigger and more muscular arm that was black all over. Sol adjusted his monocle, seeing this transformation.

"Oh, what is this? It would appear that you can only transform your right arm and not the rest of your body, monsieur." Sol said, waving his body about.

"So what, that still means that you're going down!" Elfman shouted, unleashing a punch down on Sol. Sol managed to dodge and backflip, keeping his distance.

"**Sable Dance!**" He created a Magic Seal and a whirlwind of sand engulfed Elfman, restraining his movements. Sol then appeared right behind him once the sand subsided. "**Roche Concerto!**" Rocks then escalated under Elfman's feet, making him fly into the air. He was able to bounce back by landing softly on the ground, thus taking little damage. Elfman, however, didn't have time to react when Monsieur Sol wrapped his entire body around Elfman's Black Bull Arm.

"Salut!" He said.

"You're sick man!" Elfman stated. He tried prying Sol off, but his body was too flexible. "Get off me, Man Sewer Sol!"

Taking offense, Monsieur Sol uncoiled his body and gave a mid-air kick to Elfman. "That's Monsieur Sol, idiot!" Elfman took a more defensive stance, seeing hoe he was tougher than he looked. "A long time ago, you attempted a Full-Body Take Over and went beserk, n'est pas?" Sol taunted him.

Elfman looked down in shame, seeing how it was true. "**Beast Arm: Iron Bull!**" He was about to strike when a statue resembling Lisanna appeared, which made him stop in his tracks.

"Je suis desolee, but I took the liberty of rummaging through your memories when you stepped on me earlier." Sol said. Elfman grunted and gritted his teeth, he then tried another attempt at a Full-Body Take Over, but wasn't holding up very well due to Sol taunting him with Lisanna.

"Non, non, non. Do you remember what happened last time?" Sol then created more copies of Lisanna with the earth around him. Now Elfman was surrounded by copies of his little sister everywhere. They all taunted him, throwing off his concentration.

"You coward." Elfman said, his knee on the ground. "A real man would face me head on!"

Sol then made all of the statues turn to dust and made that dust swirl about him. "Same implies to you. You're no man, you're a mindless east of whom killed his own sister! **Platre Sonata!**" He then launched a big plastered fist that broke the wall of the building. Mira saw this from the outside and looked to see what was happening. She saw Elfman on the ground.

"Elfman!" Mira shouted, causing him to instantly get back up onto his feet in shock.

"Mira? Mira!" Elfman shouted. He found her at least, but she was in the giant's grip.

Sol was right behind him when he saw his sister.

"I take it that is your older sister, Mademoiselle Mirajane. Formerly known as 'The She Devil'. She is being punished for trying to trick Master Jose, and now she will be crushed to death. As for you, your manly image is nothing more than a façade, hiding the weak creature that you are." He then made a seal in front of Elfman and his body was quaking in pain, causing him to scream. "**Merci la Vie!** You shall suffer the eternal memory of your sister's demise!"

"STOP IT!" Elfman shouted. His body was slowly turning into stone due to Merci la Vie. He was able to hear Mira shout out to him, bringing him back to reality.

"Elfman! I can't lose you too!" Mira was streaming tears and reaching out to him. Elfman saw his sister crying, which made him snap.

"…she's crying." Elfman said.

Sol looked back to see what he was doing, adjusting his monocle. "What now?"

Suddenly, a huge surge of power encased Elfman as the stone began breaking down. "I swore, I would never let anyone make you cry again. TELL ME, WHY ARE YOU CRYING?!" Elfman shouted. His body was glowing very bright with a lot of Magic surfacing.

"That light! No Elfman!" Mira shouted.

"I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR MAKING MY SISTER CRY!" Elfman roared. A large seal then came and then Sol looked to see what was happening.

"He did it." Sol said in deep shock.

"A Full-Body Take Over: **Beast Soul**!" Mira shouted.

Elfman was now a towering monster with claws for feet. He still had his pants (thank god), and his skin was now red with green abs. His face and neck were also green. His hair now looked more like a mane and he now had canines and got striped horns going up from a plate on top of his head. He had horns on his shoulders and he had a demonic roar.

Monsieur Sol was terrified. His eyes were wide in horror of the beast in front of him.

He tried to make an excuse. "Non, non, non! I wasn't trying to hurt you, I was simply trying to help you recover from your trauma. You are indeed the manliest of men. Eh…n'est pas?" Sol then tried walking away, but Elfman swatted at him, making the Element Four member airborne.

"Curse you! **Platre Sonata!**" He then launched a giant plastered fist while still in the air, hitting Elfman. Monsieur Sol looked to see he was unfazed by the attack, and he proceeded to beating the defenseless Element Four member mercilessly into the ground, punch after punch. Elfman roared as he did so, also clenching his ghost and throwing it back into his body. Elfman then picked up the beaten-up Sol with one hand.

"Non, at least knock me out, s'il vous plait!" Sol pleaded. Elfman then hit him one more time before Mira called out to him.

"Elfman!" Mira shouted, getting his attention. He turned and his size began to diminish. He ran up to his sister, while leaving Sol defeated on the ground. Elfman jumped and leaped along the arm, getting closer and closer to his worried sister. He then stopped right in front of her and glare at her.

"Elfman, I'm worried. Please don't tell me you lost control." Mira said, a little scared. To her shock, she was pulled out of the giant's grip and was hugged by Elfman.

"I'm sorry." Elfman said, his voice a little more demonic since he's in the Beast Soul. "I promised that I would never do another Full-Body Take Over ever again, not after what happened with Lisanna. This was the only way I could protect you and all of Fairy Tail."

Mira was so happy Elfman was still in control. "You're still in control." She said, so happy her brother didn't go crazy. "What happened back then wasn't your fault. You were trying to protect us."

Elfman then transformed back into himself. "…And I failed miserably. I killed our little sister." Elfman then looked down in udder shame as to that incident. Mira then went and comforted him.

"I'm still here. I'm still alive." Mira said. "We promise to live on for her, and she'll always be in our hearts forever."

Elfman then started to cry in joy. "Big sis! I'm so glad you're okay!" Mira looked up at her happy brother, and then noticed something in regards to the Abyss Break. Elfman saw this and looked at the circle as well.

"That's weird, the Magic circle for the Abyss Break Spell isn't being drawn as fast as it was before." She said.

Elfman then recalled what Nic had said about the Element Four powering the Abyss Break. "Mirajane, the Element Four is powering this thing, so tye giant slows down every time one of them is defeated." He explained, reiterating Nic's hunch. Mira was wide eyed at how this was very accurate.

"Yes. That must be it. How did you know?"

"Nic said it. He figured we could take down the Element Four and then the Abyss Break would be stopped."

Mira looked in shock, thinking how Nic was very knowledgeable. She had no idea that Nic was so perceptive. She and Elfman then got off the arm and went off to find the others.

* * *

><p><strong>With Gray<strong>

Gray crawled through a window and looked up, seeing that it was raining. He crawled out to find Juvia waiting there.

"Drip, drip, drop. Hello. I am Juvia of the Element Four. Drip, drip, drop." She said, holding an umbrella.

"Bring it on." Gray said calmly. "I'm not holding back since you're a chick."

After a long stare at one another, Juvia began to blush for some reason and turned back. "Well, I give up. You win." She said

"The heck?! Did you forget to go to the bathroom or something?!" Gray shouted. He then ran up to Juvia, only to get caught up in her Water Lock Spell. Gray winced in pain. Juvia noticed that Gray had an abdomen injury and started to panic.

"Oh my god. What do I do?!" Juvia questioned in concern. Gray then turned the whole thing into ice and shattered it, breaking free.

"He's an Ice Wizard!" Juvia exclaimed. "It's beautiful!" She then started thinking to herself._ 'I'm water and he's ice. We must be bound by fate.'_

Gray then slowly got up, still clenching his abdomen. "You almost got me there. You're fighting dirty."

Juvia got the wrong implication and started blushing when he took off his shirt.

"**Ice Make: Lance!**" He then summoned a Magic seal and arrows of ice shot at Juvia, only to have the attack go through her. Gray looked in deep shock that his attack didn't do anything.

"My body is made entirely of water. Drip, drip, drop. Sadly, I have no choice but to attack. **Water Slicer!**"

Gray then saw blades of water race towards him, but he managed to dodge.

"**Ice Make: Battle Axe!**" Gray then made a giant axe and swung at her, but it proved ineffective. _'Now what do I do?' _

"You cannot defeat me. Your guild may be spared if you hand over Lucy Heartfilia. Do that and I'll ask our Master to stop the attack. Drip, drip, drop." Juvia said.

Gray wasn't moved. "Like hell that's going to happen. Lucy's one of us. I'd rather die than give her to you."

Juvia then dropped her umbrella. She was deeply shocked by the false implication. She thought Lucy was her rival now. Juvia screamed how fate could be so cruel, which caught Gray off guard.

Juvia then surge a lot of water in anger. "Lucy must not be allowed to live!" She shouted, determined to beat her new love rival.

Gray was just confused.

She then unleashed a scalding hot Water Beam at Gray, only he was able to avoid it.

"What's your problem with Lucy?!" Gray shouted, only to get responded with another Water Beam. Gray was too slow to use his Ice Make Magic, so he dodged until he saw a Water Beam coming from above. He was able to make a shield, but the water was boiling hot, making the ice melt.

"I am invincible in the rain. You cannot defeat me." She then saw that Gray was nowhere to be seen. There was a steam cloud and Gray used that to his advantage. He was in the air and Juvia saw him.

"It's all over!" Juvia shouted, unleashing another boiling hot Water Beam.

"Oh yeah?!" Gray then touched the beam and it was turned to ice. He slid down and encased Juvia in it.

Juvia was blushing when she noticed that Gray's hand was on one of her breasts and he started flipping out.

"GAH! It's not what you think, I didn't mean to!" He shouted. She's never felt so embarrassed in her life. Gray then yanked his hand out and the ice disappeared.

"Sorry!" Gray said, having Juvia drop to her knees. "Okay, how about we start all over."

"No. I don't want to hurt you anymore, so there's no point to continue." Juvia said, standing up. Gray then noticed that the rain was starting to get worse.

"Man, this rain is so gloomy." He said, setting off a nerve in Juvia.

She started to steam so much and got mad. "How could you be so cruel?!" She shouted. She then launched a huge Water Beam at Gray. He tried to use his Ice Make Magic, but he couldn't do it due to the water being too hot. "I'm through with love!" She yelled, sending Gray back. "I've lived my whole life as a gloomy rain girl, but Phantom Lord looked past that, and they welcomed me with open arms. **Sierra!**" She then lunged at Gray with her body made entirely of scalding water.

Gray then made a shield just as water shot at him. "How can you be a proud member if your guild has harmed the innocent?!" He then punched the water, turning it into ice and nullifying Juvia's attack.

Juvia looked in shock to see how Gray turned the rain around her to ice. "He's amazing!" She said out loud.

"**Ice Make: Geyser!**" A Magic Seal then formed at his feet and a tower of ice shot up and froze Juvia. She screamed as the ice shattered and she started falling to the ground.

'_I lost. I'll splatter like a raindrop. Farewell world.' _She thought. Only that didn't happen. Gray skid and saved her from falling. She looked up in shock.

"Just hang on!" Gray shouted. "I won't let you fall!" Juvia held on as Gray helped her up. He then set her right behind him.

"Why did you save me?" Juvia asked.

"Just because." Gray said.

'_He saved my life…' _She then saw the sun come out and the clouds began to disappear. "So bright." She then saw and looked up at the blue sky. "The rain…it stopped."

"Hey look, the sun's coming out." Gray indicated. He then looked at Juvia, who was on the verge of tears.

"The blue sky, I've never seen it before." She said. "It's so beautiful."

Gray looked astonished that she never saw it before, but got out of that shock.

"So, you wanna go at it?" He asked her. Once again, the false implication made her heart jump and have hearts for a mouth and eyes. She screamed as she had hearts all over and fell unconscious.

Gray got up in shock of Juvia's behavior and the fact she was out.

"Hey, are you okay?! Speak to me!" Gray said, not understanding what went on in her head.

It wasn't long before Mira and Elfman showed right by Gray's side.

"Hey, you managed to defeat another of the Element Four." Elfman said, seeing how Juvia was down.

"Though, why is grinning in her sleep?" Mira wondered. Gray just shrugged, thinking she might be having a good dream.

They then saw that the Abyss Break circle was even slower than before, meaning there was only one left.

"Three down, one to go. Let's take them down like real men!" Elfman said with a clenched fist.

"Man, I sure hope Natsu, Erza, and Nic are okay." Gray said.

With the Abyss Break slowing down, everyone in the guild fighting below noticed the giant slowing down as well.

"Nice one you guys, keep it up!" Cana cheered as she shot a few cards and destroyed shades. _'Hurry up Nic. We don't know how much more we can take.'_

* * *

><p><strong>And then we stop there. A lot of stuff happened this chapter, but that's good. I'm trying to get the plot moving as quick as I can in these next couple of chapters.<strong>

**As you have read, you now know Nic's fifth Pokémon. You'll see Arbok in action next chapter. If you guys are wondering, the last pokémon will show in The Battle of Fairy Tail Arc. So sit tight until then.**

**Did you like Kecleon's flashback? I thought it was reasonable with the situation she was in. Let me know if you liked that scene.**

**Was the way Jupiter was stopped fair to you guys? Let me know.**

**Please Favorite, Follow, and Review this story and/or chapter if it appeals to you guys.**

**Review, because I said so. No pressure.**

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time: No Way, Jose<strong>


	10. No Way, Jose

Chapter 10 – No Way, Jose

**S'up peeps! Before anything, let me say that the title of the chapter was indeed a pun. You know that saying? Well, I'm using it quite literally this time. I might as well address and answer a few Reviews while I'm at it.**

**Guest: You're just about right in regards to Type variation along Nic's team. I want to have a variety of sources that the characters can depend on. The last one, however, with circumstances in regards to his team, I plan to make the last pokémon a more popular choice. That one will have a key in a couple future Arcs ahead. I also appreciate the kind stuff you're saying about my story and I thank you for the heads up.**

**Alpha Dragonis: Jupiter depletes its Magic source once fired, but you can say Nic copied the properties of the blast without using his own power. So he exhausted little energy when using Mirror Move, because the move itself did all of the work; although, you did have a point on a drawback, but Nic didn't have any major**** drawbacks with said reason if it makes any sense to you. You also have a valid point with Staraptor, but if it weren't for Close Combat, it wouldn't be considered as popular.**

**You guys, just don't worry about the last pokémon. It's better to focus on the present ones, because you know it won't show until The Battle of Fairy Tail Arc, so chillax and read the story.**

**Thanks for the support so far, I appreciate it. Let's rock n' roll.**

**To Recap:**

The entire Phantom Lord Guild has become mobile and made its way towards an injured Fairy Tail Guild. When Jupiter Cannon fired, Nic showed up and saved everyone. Nic, Elfman, Gray, and Erza all stormed the menacing guild while Natsu and Happy destroyed the Jupiter Cannon. Meanwhile, Lucy and Reedus were found by Gajeel, but was defeated by Nic's Kecleon, allowing the two to make another escape. Mira's transformation was found false and the giant snatched her up. Inside, the team splits, with Elfman saving his sister and taking down Sol, Gray defeating a love struck Juvia, Natsu going to fight Gajeel with Nic's Arbok as backup, Erza going to stop the last Element Four member, and Nic and Greninja heading off to quarrel with Jose.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10 – No Way, Jose<strong>

At this point, only one member of the Element Four was still standing. If he was defeated, then the Abyss Break would be put to a halt. However, there were other obstacles in the way, such as a certain Dragon Slayer and a typical Wizard Saint, both aching to fight.

* * *

><p><strong>With Erza<strong>

She had entered a spacious room at the end of the hall that she ran down. She looked about and didn't see anything nor anyone; regardless, there was a potent Magic energy in the room. She knew someone was here, but which member could it had been?

She felt the presence concentrate behind her, and spun around to see Aria floating in the air. She summoned two swords in the blink of an eye and got into a battle stance, not wasting any time with said opponent.

"So, Titania, it would appear that you are my adversary today. It makes me sad to see a worthy foe fall, but it must be done by the order of Jose." Aria said with streams of tears coming down his blindfold.

Erza's grip tightened around her two swords. She glared at Aria with deep animosity, not forgetting what he had done to Makarov. "I know it was you who drained the Master of his Magic. I shall repay you in full for your actions."

Erza then lunged at Aria and attempted to slash him, but he teleported away at the last second. Erza grunted as the attack followed through with no target. She felt his energy above and looked up. Aria was above her and showed his palms downwards, making a Magic Seal.

"**Zetsu!**" He then launched his Airspace Magic down on the mighty Titania. Erza jumped back multiple times, dodging the bombarding explosions. She then jumped and trie slashing once more, but Aria then created an Airspace shield and blocked her assault. She fell to the ground and Aria shot forth another Zetsu in the process, prompting Erza to slash at the oncoming explosions as an act of defense. Fortunately, the Airspace barrages were all sliced and went past her, exploding behind her as she landed with grace. "You are not without reflexes and skill, oh mighty Titania. It would appear that I will have to step it up." He was smiling ever so confidently, believing Erza was no match for him. Yeah…sucks to be him right now.

He took off his blindfold, revealing magenta eyes that unfolded into four evenly spaced slices, four in all. Just then, a huge surge of power enveloped the atmosphere all around, causing winds to be stirred. "Now Titania, see if you survive Zero, also known as 'The Airspace of Death'. It consumes all life that happens to step in it!" A monstrous wind then enveloped the entire room, causing chandeliers and debris to shatter into little pieces

Erza wasn't feeling at all fazed by this act. She held up her sword at Aria. "Tell me, how is it that you could go so low as being such a sadistic character, relishing on other's misery?! Answer me!"

"It'd be more fun to show you how I do this so called claim!" Aria shouted with an evil grin. Aria then brought his hands before him, with the right being on top of the left, with palms facing the charging Erza. He then fired small Airspaces at her, which somehow looked like stars (looks like that to me). Erza yelled as she slashed through Aria's Zero with ease, even gliding her sword through the small Airspace attacks. She charged even further, slicing through the very wind herself.

This shocked Aria, for he was surprised that his Airspace was being beaten. "But how?! She's cutting through my Airspace! It just can't be possible!"

"**Requip - Heaven's Wheel!**" Erza then requiped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor and soared above a shaking Aria. She then came down on him and slashed at him with a multitude of swords from out of the blue. "**Blumenblatt!**"

Aria screamed as Erza had dealt with him with upmost ease. He fell onto his side, defeated. Erza landed safely and softly while looking back at the fallen Aria with unfriendly glares.

"You can never defeat our Master with such tactics. You'll only be remembered as a coward who fell by my hand."

"That's so sad." He said before going unconscious.

In a matter of moments, the entire place was shaking up. The Abyss Break Spell was nullified outside. Everyone saw the giant's Abyss Break Spell shrinking and its eyes stopped glowing, meaning the power had shut off. It drooped slowly downwards into the water. The giant had gotten to a knee as one of its arm splashed into the water. Everyone cheered, seeing the giant defeated.

Back with Erza, she turned once the giant had stopped shaking. She requiped back into her Heart Kreuz Armor and turned back towards the way she came, hoping to find the others.

"If I had to guess, the Abyss Break had shut down, and so has the giant." She indicated. "The others must have finished with their tasks. Better go and meet up with them." She then hurried along the corridor and the thought of Nic had sprung into her mind for that one little second. _'Dammit Nic, why didn't you take us all with you to stop Jose?'_ Her sense of worry was escalating, but she had more problems to deal with than Nic fighting Jose, like finding the others first.

* * *

><p><strong>With Natsu and Happy<strong>

Natsu had just finished burning his way to the top, literally. He burst through the ceiling and entered the head of the giant, where there was a few lackeys and an Iron Dragon Slayer with an appetite.

Natsu was encased in flames and ready for action. "Gajeel!" Gajeel himself had just finished chomping on some iron, with his reserves back up and running. He wasn't fully recovered, but it was manageable and endurable with the amount of iron that went down into his stomach. He turned to face his new adversary, the Fire Dragon Slayer, Natsu Dragneel.

He smirked. "This should be easier than last time. At least I got a chance against this punk." He gloated.

One of his lackeys stepped up. "Gajeel!" He was about to ask if they should do something about him, but it was clear to them Gajeel wasn't one for answers from those beneath him.

"This one is mine!" Gajeel and Natsu then lunged at each other. Gajeel unleashed an Iron Dragon's Club in mid-air, but Natsu dodged and grabbed the column, doing a full three-sixty and hurling him back from where he came from. He planted his feet against the wall and defended from an oncoming flaming fist from Natsu, resulting in an explosion that frightened the subordinates.

"We gotta get out of here!" The male lackey from before said. Just then, he felt as though all nerves and feeling within him went numb, as did the female lackey that accompanied him.

"What's going on? Why can't I move?" He then heard a hiss from behind, which immediately had sent goose bumps running down his spine. The girl turned her eyes and saw a big cobra creature with its pattern on its body glowing, via Glare. They were both paralyzed and their movements were heavily restrained.

Happy had shown up just as when Natsu had delivered a successful blow with another flaming fist at Gajeel, sending him crashing into a wall. He looked over and saw Arbok scaring the crap out of his victims. He flew his way around the main battle and went over to see if Arbok was in need of any help. It was clear that help wasn't necessary for either participants.

"Sssso, you're with that piercccced lunatic, huh?" Arbok sneered at the two, making them almost whimper with Arbok closing in on them. He then bared his fangs and they glowed light blue, grew larger, and were covered in ice. "Out with you scoundrels!" With one swift movements, he slithered in a fast motion past them both at once. They never even saw it coming, he was so fast. Then again, they were paralyzed. They had half of their bodies frozen in ice, which was where Arbok's fangs had strike them. They both fell with the ice shattering and were unconscious, lying along a pile of debris. Arbok looked back and hissed with a glare, looking down at his fallen victims. He then looked back at the fight that was more important than his, awaiting to see if Natsu needed assistance.

"Whoa. That attack was scary." Happy commented. Arbok then looked down at Happy and hissed once more, making him jump on the spot.

"Focussss, ya flapping feline!" Arbok said in a snobbish tone. He slithered past Happy and waited patiently in a position that made him look as if he was going to lunge out when the time called for it. Happy looked to see Arbok, noticing that it was doing exactly as Nic told him to do. Recalling that Nic ordered Arbok to assist in taking out any goons and await for when Natsu is in need of backup. Happy then turned and watched the fight.

Gajeel cracked his neck, adjusting from that warm up. "For fairy scum, you sure are push overs." He noted.

"You're the real scum here pal. For trying to hurt Lucy, I'll melt through your rusty old skin." Natsu retorted. This got Gajeel thinking.

"Hold up, how did you know that I tried to kidnap your friend?" Gajeel demanded to know. Natsu had a fist with flames with Gajeel's name written all over it.

"Because Nic told me. He made sure to have someone there to stop ya, just like how he and Greninja will stop Jose." Natsu responded.

Gajeel was shocked on the inside. That guy from before had anticipated such actions and had Kecleon take care of him and shatter his defenses like glass. _'So, that Nic guy is much smarter than he looks. He must have known that I would also come back here to recover, leaving the two of us to duke it out while he fights Jose. What an idiot. He'll fall to Jose, leaving me to demolish this guy!'_ The thought of beating Salamander made his iron spine crawl with such anticipation. At this point, Nic wasn't his focus, but taking down Natsu, someone who he had a chance of beating.

Both he and Natsu then charged at one another with him having a club and Natsu with a flaming fist. Both attacks collided and they were on opposite sides from before. Gajeel changed his arm into an extended blade, but Natsu jumped and dodged and delivered a foot to the face. Gajeel stepped back while Natsu jumped away with caution. The blades on Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Sword now spun like a chainsaw, ready to cut Natsu down like lumber.

"How about I rearrange your body with my Iron Dragon's Sword!" Gajeel shouted. He jumped and slammed the blade downwards. Natsu narrowly dodged while the ground shattered by the blades impact. "Not much of a push over now, are ya!" Gajeel mocked while striking multiple times as to where Natsu was trying to evade the attacks.

He then retracted his sword and smirked. "We've still got a score to settle from the other day, how about settling it right now?"

"You're on, you iron-chomping scumbag!" Natsu challenged. Gajeel then changed into his Iron Dragon Scales, making his skin look just like iron.

He jumped and was going to punch Natsu. "**Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!**" He then delivered a blow that had send Natsu into the wall, frightening some nearby lackeys that were hiding among the debris. Natsu's arm was badly bruised, almost as bad as when Nic was badly bruised from before.

"Those scales are amplifying his defenses and offenses!" Happy shouted, in shock that Natsu was being overpowered. Arbok wasn't taking this highly. He saw some goons hiding and saw Natsu being pummeled by another oncoming fist. He had to act, as in now.

"Hey, flame brat! Jump now! You too cat!" Arbok warned loud and clear. Arbok then brought his long tail into the air, gaining momentum when he was going to bring it down. Happy flew in the air and Natsu heard his warning. He jumped away, making Gajeel lose focus when doing so.

"**Earthquake!**" Arbok then brought this tail down hard, unleashing a disastrous rippling quake about the entire head. Since Natsu had jumped, he and Happy were spared, while Gjeel was off balance and feeling the quaking ground giving him trouble for some reason. The lackeys in the area have all shrieked as the trembling and hyper vibrations, as well as the magnitude, made them fall to the floor and flop about unconscious. If you were outside, you would've seen the head rapidly vibrating, but still attached.

"Whoa! Now that was scary!" Happy shouted as the attack simmered after twenty seconds. Natsu smirked and gave a thumbs up at Arbok.

"Be lucky that wassss minimum power cat. If it were maxxximum power, then thissss building wouldn't be sssstanding." Arbok remarked

"Thanks there, snake man!" He shouted, just about landing safely. Arbok hissed and backed away until the time felt necessary again. Happy flew back down and landed right next to Arbok, putting his focus back on the battle. Natsu then delivered a Fire Dragon's Claw and landed aclean hit on a somewhat damaged Gajeel. He was still in shock and pain from that Earthquake Arbok had dealt. He couldn't explain it, but it felt as though the ground was biting at him. Gajeel reeled away and then got out of his initial shock and went to strike Natsu. Natsu managed to dodge a few attacks that back some wind to them, which also made the ground quake when missing.

"**Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!**" He then punched Gajeel right in the face, but not a scratch appeared. Natsu recoiled and rolled about from the pain his hand had received. He rolled and turned on the ground in amusing fashion.

Arbok chuckled. "Quite the comical one."

When Natsu had settled down, Gajeel walked up and gave a headbutt that send Natsu into the ground with a slight tremor. He quickly bounced back by jumping out of the crater and got some distance between themselves.

"**Fire Dragon's Roar!**"

"**Iron Dragon's Roar**!"

Both breath attacks collided into one another, creating a vast whirlwind all around. Happy was freaking out from the sheer power that was blowing him away, but Arbok was unfazed, clearly showing some high level of endurance.

The entire wall behind Gajeel had burst and debris was all over the place. Gajeel didn't look injured at all, but Natsu himself was huffing and puffing, drained from the Magic he had exhausted.

"Is that really the best you got, Salamander? Your flames can't burn me the slightest."

Natsu then smirked. "Oh yeah, sure you're not cracking up there buddy?" He berated. Gajeel then felt his cheek cracking up, but only a thin crack. This surprise Gajeel for sure. He experienced this two other times, and the outcomes were not so good. "I don't breathe regular fire. The Fire Dragon's Roar burns anything it touches." Natsu then took off his shirt, leaving his upper half with only his scarf.

"Hm, didn't know that walking popsicle's clothes habit was contagious." Arbok sneered. At any rate, Natsu's body was consumed in flames, ready to dish out more pain.

"Enough warming up, let's go!" Natsu declared.

Gajeel then ripped off his shirt and Magic surged from all around him as well. "Bring it!"

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, with Cana and the others…<strong>

Under different circumstances, Alzack would have loved to spend some time with Bisca on the rooftop. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of those romantic moments; well, unless you count blasting shades down as a date, then they would be having a great time.

Down below, the Fairy Tail Wizards were giving it everything they got to drive the shades away, but they just kept coming. The swarm of shades didn't stop, even with their most lethal spells being used. Regardless, the shades were still coming about, and they all were flying into one another, creating some sort of blob that was growing in size.

"What is that thing?" Wakaba shouted. The shades all then morphed into a giant dark purple blob with two red eyes.

"Did they all just combine?!" Macao shouted.

"Yeah, and it looks like we'll have to try even harder now." Cana remarked. Everyone was shouted to attack and kill the thing, but their spells weren't very effective on the beast. It expanded four large appendages and made four giant fists. The shade monster than rammed its fists into the building repeatedly.

Lzack and Bisca were no match for the monster as they were blown off the roof. They both were send flying and smashed somewhere in a pile of debris, temporarily taking them out of commission.

"Bisca! Alzack!" Cana shouted, she then looked to see the Guild Hall getting hit repeatedly to no end, which was a great disbelief to the Fairy Tail Wizards. "The Guild Hall!"

Even with everyone's spells attacking the thing, it kept up its assault and didn't let up for an instant.

'_Nic! Guys! Just hurry already! We're at our limits!'_

* * *

><p><strong>With Natsu<strong>

After Natsu and Gajeel's fists had smashed into one another, the top of the dome head smashed open, allowing the two to soar high and deliver fast and rapid punches against one another. To Happy's disbelief, neither side was giving an edge. Arbok looked up at the fight and narrowed his eyes, looking as though he was sharpening his focus. He kept his eyes and focus only on how Natsu and Gajeel delivered blows. He indicated that the two had a similar fighting style, delivering powerful punches with little thinking behind their actions.

As they descended, they duked it out with more combat on one of the horns of the head. The horn eventually snapped off from the power shots that both delivered evenly and the horn crashed through the dome of the head. The two had just jumped off and a dust cloud was in their way. Natsu was out of breath, as to where he saw Gajeel eating on some iron, which ticked off the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"Hold on man, that's cheating!" Natsu complained.

"So what?" Gajeel remarked with a mouth full of iron. He then finished chomping and smirked. "Heh, now I got a fire in my belly!"

"Hey pal, that's my line!" Natsu complained one last time just before Gajeel was surging with a Magic power boost from that iron he took in.

Adios Salamander. **Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!**" A large seal appeared in front of Gajeel and out came a multitude of metal spears that attacked Natsu in rapid succession. Natsu gasped and wheeze as the attack hammered him, making him step back in agony. After the dust cleared, he slowly got up.

"You think those metallic pencils can stop me? Well, here's my shot!" Natsu engulfed himself in flames and charged at Gajeel with what strength he had remaining. "**Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!**" He rammed his head into Gajeel's iron abdomen, but that only tickled him.

"Heh, I sure got a fire in my belly, but you sure don't." Gajeel noted before giving Natsu an elbow to the head, and then using his Iron Dragon's Club to drag Natsu's head backwards and along a wall, hurling him towards the broken wall that opened to the destroyed Fairy Tail Guild. "I've had my fun with you, now beat it chump."

Happy looked as though he was about to cry. He watched as Natsu laid there on the ground, hardly able to open his own two eyes. He couldn't bear to see his pal get hammered like this anymore. He was shaking about, something that didn't go unnoticed by Arbok. Arbok looked down at the unhappy Happy. He stared at him, looking at how upset this feeling was. Arbok had to admit even though he can be very snobbish, except to Nic, even he knew the boundaries of horror and sanity and he didn't cross it, not even once. Seeing this fight sickened him. Gajeel had no pride and he was nothing more than a scumbag. Arbok glared furiously at Gajeel, prepared to strike, but then saw the Guild Hall go down, something that Natsu saw when he had opened his eyes.

"Check it out Salamander, we're doing some redecorating." Gajeel gloat, laughing demonically.

Natsu watched, baffled by the very thing he treasured getting trashed into the earth. All of those memories, up in smoke. Those times when he first joined when he was little, with the guidance of Makarov. He remembered when he first met Gray, that very moment when he fought him almost two seconds after meeting eyes. He remembered meeting Erza and how she beat the snot out of them. How he found Happy's egg and nursed it with the help of Lisanna. How Lisanna went on an S-Class request with Elfman and Mira and died while doing so. Finally, meeting Lucy and Nic and getting into a heck of a lot of trouble. All of those memories, gone.

With rage, he got up to his feet and turned to face Gajeel. He won't let Fairy Tail be sullied nor bullied anymore. He carried his own two feet and walked heavily towards Gajeel, who was waiting for him to approach.

"So, your Guild Hall is trash. How is that?" He asked before swinging his arm, slamming Natsu back against a machine. Once again, he got back to his feet, but barely. Gajeel then approached him. "This holding back crap is a bore, so I say it's best to stay down before I start beating your insides."

Happy was streaming tears, seeing how Natsu will never give up, a trait he would take to his grave. He was quivering and shaking. "He took down Jupiter, and took on a member of the Element Four. His Magic is depleted. IF HE COULD JUST EAT SOME FIRE, HE WOULD BE ABLE TO BEAT THIS GUY!" Happy cried. Arbok looked at Happy once more before looking back at the two duking it out, which was one-sided at this point. Gajeel then held Natsu by the collar and was readying a sword.

"End of the line kid." Gajeel sneered. Arbok then noticed the large machine behind them. Arbok knew a bit about these things and how if they were to explode…

This was Arbok's shot. He opened his mouth and a silver white was beginning to merge in front of him. Happy saw what Arbok was doing and saw that it turned into a garbage bag with a purple outline.

"You're attacking with garbage?" Happy exclaimed. Arbok showed his sneering glare at Happy, which made him shut up and step back, allowing Arbok to concentrate. He then unleashed his Gunk Shot at the speed of sound and it went past Gajeel and Natsu, having a critical impact on the machinery, making an explosion of fire from the destroyed machinery.

"Oh wow, that attack was amazing!" Happy exclaimed, shocked to see such force being applied in battle, especially with garbage.

Arbok hissed and watched as Gajeel looked at him.

"That snake thing is getting in my way again!" Gajeel shouted. Everyone then took note of the explosion's fire being sucked up by Natsu. Every bit of it went into his belly. Now,he was back up with energy to burn and a certain Dragon Slayer to demolish.

"That hit the spot. Thank a ton, snake man!" Natsu gave a thumbs up. Arbok stared, but then grinned.

"Beat his sssorry assssss for the ssssake of you and your friendssss!" Arbok said, still a bit rude, yet encouraging. Natsu then turned and saw Gajeel dashing towards him with a fist with Natsu's name written all over it. Now it really sucks to be in Gajeel's boots right now.

Natsu effortlessly engulfed himself in flames and swung his arm and bashed Gajeel backwards. Into the horn that fell previously, causing it to move.

"**Iron Dragon's Roar!**" Gajeel then unleashed in roar on Natsu, but the blast was easily deflected it, resulting in no damage.

"I don't know how many have to suffer from your hands, but it ends now." Natsu said, giving off a vibe that can make any spine shiver.

"No. I can't be defeated, it's impossible!" Gajeel was freaking out. He's only lost two fights ever, and he wasn't going to take a third one.

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did to my friends! MESSING WITH FAIRY TAIL WAS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU'VE EVER MADE!" Natsu cracked his fists and the heat was intensifying.

Gajeel gritted his teeth, not taking this lying down He jumped and came down at an angle. "**Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!**" The attack collided with Natsu's own fist. Much to Gajeel's shock, the scales on his arm were cracking up, all the way up to his shoulder.

"You're finished, Black Steel! **Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist!**" Natsu's hands were set ablaze and he fired rapidly at Gajeel over and over. "For Levy, Jet, Droy, Nab, Macao, Gramps, Wakaba, Cana, Loke, Gray, Erza, Nic!" He then delivered a fast uppercut. "And Lucy!" Gajeel then slammed into the ground, gagging as he had hit hard. "GRAAAAHHHHHH!" Natsu roared, igniting his body in a blaze of glory. He then lashed out a multitude of Wing Attacks and knocked Gajeel around furiously. "This is for attacking my friends, and destroying our Guild Hall!"

There were a huge amount of explosions that were set upon the giant. He repeatedly smashed Gajeel until fell over and screamed as he crashed into debris, smashing and shattering his scales. The entire head of the giant finally gave into the damage and it fell off its own shoulders, falling into the water below.

Gajeel laid in the debris, defeated. "You can't…defeat me…not you too…" He then fell unconscious and Natsu was looking over him.

"Well, well I just proved otherwise." He said before falling back and lying to face the sky. It wasn't long before Happy showed up with wings. Arbok came close behind.

"Heh, he'sssss a ticking time bomb." Arbok noted.

"That's Natsu for ya!" Happy responded. Natsu did a toothy grin, and Happy laughed in joy while Arbok hissed, just glad that he fulfilled Nic's orders.

* * *

><p><strong>With Nic and Greninja<strong>

During all of those events that transpired with one another, Nic and his ninja accomplice were running through a really long hallway. Even as of now, he sensed all of the battles that had taken place while he was running down the longest hallway. He felt the ground from above shake violently. He knew that was Arbok's Earthquake, and a few more violent shakes erupted. He even sensed Natsu's power triumphing over Gajeel. Sadly, he sensed the energy from the Mages defending Fairy Tail, it was diminishing. He had to quicken the pace, foor there was only one person left.

Nic pushed open a large set of double doors that lead to a very large room. It was not only wide, but very spacious. Aside from the huge chandelier, a long red carpet lead to a wide staircase. If the two had to guess, they must either be in Jose's quarters or a party room; if it weres the latter, then it was going to be one wild party.

"Nic, how do you think Arbok is doing, as well as the others?" Greninja asked Nic.

Nic turned and looked at his buddy. "You know Arbok as well as I do Greninja. He's sturdy enough to take tough blows. Aside from his demeanor, he's never failed to follow any of my commands." Greninja then nodded, knowing that was true.

Nic then sensed a very foul and deadly energy blooming nearby.

"You feel that deadly Magic?" Nic asked.

Greninja got ready. "Yeah, he's here."

"Welcome, young Nic and friend." The two then tensed up when they had finally came face to face with Phantom Lord's Guild Master, and one of the Ten Wizard Saints, Jose Porla.

His attire was different this time. He had on a long blue coat with a belt around his waist, with another one over his right shoulder, sporting Phantom's insignia on the buckle. The coat had golden stripes all about, had a brownish-red cape along his left shoulder, and had a black ribbon tied around his collar under the emblem that meant he was a member of the Ten Wizard Saints.

"I hope you don't mind the lack of commodities." Jose said as he casually made his way down the stairs with his hands behind his back. "If I had known that I would have guests, I would've arranged for a more suitable welcome, no?"

Nic decided to play along, make a bit of humor before the fun started. "It's fine. It would be messy later on anyway."

Jose's expression slowly turned dark, but he maintained his grin. "I have to say, taking on Black Steel, two of the Element Four, and then stopping Jupiter without damage. I'm impressed with your talents, you must have a huge amount of Magic reserves within you."

In retrospect, Nic did go through a bit. Taking on Gajeel, then Sol and Juvia, and then stopping Jupiter with just Mirror Move. Technically, since he didn't have Magic to begin with, he had nothing to gain or lose from that blast; and besides, he used Synthesis before he entered the room, so he was one hundred percent however you looked at it.

Nic faked it. "You can say that." He then prepared to attack by gathering green energy between his palms. The energy then shaped into a seed and he threw the green seed at Jose. Jose didn't blink when he caught the football-sized seed with his Darkness Magic.

Jose sighed. "Honestly, do you really think something like this could-?"

He was stopped in mid-sentence when Nic snapped his fingers, forcing the See Bomb to explode. Since Seed Bomb didn't explode on impact, not that it made contact anyway, Nic manually detonated it. The Seed Bomb exploded and sent Jose flying into a wall. Pain flared about as Jose was off guard by the attack. Jose shook off his momentary flaw and glared at Nic with discontent.

"Just shut it already clown face." Nic berated. He and Greninja both got in defensive stances, ready to take action.

"We're not here for your taunts, so I advise that you prepare yourself already." Greninja warned.

Jose's grin turned evil. "Very well, then. I say we start your torment and misery now. You and your friend there will suffer your own insolence." Then then began to conjure and concentrate Magic into his hands and a seal appeared. "**Dead Wave!**"

Jose then fired a large beam of energy at Nic and Greninja. The attack had made the ground shake as it sailed towards them. The two quickly sidestepped as the attack passed them and create a massive hole from the wall they had just entered. If that happened again, perhaps the hallway would be obliterated. The building shook a bit and Nic and Greninja didn't have time to process Jose popping in front of them with a fist ready.

'_So fast.'_ Nic noted. Greninja jumped in and blocked the assault with his forearms and followed it up by jumping backwards and unleashing a Water Pulse.

Jose intercepted by extending his fingers and shooting little beams as though they were bullets. He shot one at the Water Pulse and that only weakened it, but the second shot cancelled out the Water Pulse. Jose then kept up his Dark Beam and was shooting bullets in succession of one another. It didn't prove too helpful as Greninja diligently evade and dodged with speed, being able to avoid every shot.

As Jose was distracted with Greninja, he had forgotten NIc for a brief second. Nic sped into him and was about to do yet another Seed Bomb, but Jose caught a glimpse of him while he was preparing to do so. With his other hand, he fired his Dark Beam at Nic and that drove him away. Nic dodged left and right and backed away. He then countered with his own bullets.

"**Bullet Seed!**" He then spit out multiple golden seeds with green aura enveloped around each one in rapid succession, fiercely fending against each Dark Beam shot at him. Jose and Nic each shot at one another, every shot being intercepted by Bullet Seed and Dark Beam. After a whole ten seconds, Jose and Nic had decided to stop and get up close and personal. Greninja managed to get in close as well. Jose then made his fist envelop in some Darkness Magic and he punched forward, but not without an interception from Nic. Nic brought him arm back as fast as he could and his hand started glowing light green. It then extended into a long green sword, via Leaf Blade. The two attacks then collided, creating an explosion that Greninja backed away from. The ground between the two was a crater that covered their distance apart, which was roughly five feet. They both grunted and then proceeded to attack one another again. They kept trading blows, both assaults clashing into one another every time. Neither side was giving an edge when they collided. It was darkness Magic against Leaf Blade.

As Nic and Jose dished out repeated blows with accuracy and speed, Greninja sat aside and tried to do some experimenting. He did a Water Pulse, but then he held it in his palms. He looked as though he was compressing it. _'Nic, we need an edge. I know you won't have a problem with me re-learning an old ace in the hole.'_

As he was experimenting, Nic and the Wizard Saint had gotten tired delivering blows and they jumped away from one another.

"**Dead Wave!**" Jose then unleashed a massive beam at Nic.

"**Energy Ball!**" Nic made a light green ball in his hands, of which he threw to block the Dead Wave. The two attacks exploded and the walls all around now began to crack up from the sheer force those two attacks dealt. _'Good thing Grass Types have above-average Attack and Special Attack.' _

Greninja was cut off from his concentration, but he was able to compress the water. Now all he had to do was shape it.

After the dust cleared, Jose and Nic both had a few scratches on them. Aside from those, they didn't take much damage. They were both now probably thirty or so feet from each other.

"Not bad for a young Mage." Jose remarked grudgingly. "I was right. You are indeed impressive and your skills show no bounds. I was astounded that you managed to keep track off my speed."

"You can say I've seen faster." Nic remarked, thinking back to when he was battling against speedy pokémon with fast attacks. Thanks to those, he can read attacks a lot faster than your average fighter.

"That Makarov! Where does he find people like you?"

"I have no idea." Nic said. Regardless of Nic's answer, Jose continued on talking.

"For as long as I can remember, Phantom Lord has been at the top. We had the most powerful Mages with a variety of spells, the profits were endless, and then your guild started competing with us." He said with distaste. "_Fairy Tail_ has been getting even more attention than Phantom Lord, and I detest such competition." He said the guild's name with disgust.

They began to circle about, both pacing each other, almost like a circle, watching each other's movements and not taking their gaze off of one another. Jose still pressed on talking, though Nic didn't think it was necessary.

"Names such as Laxus, Mystogan, and Titania have been sprouting everywhere. Even a man called Salamander had begun spreading like wildfire. Even YOU are already making a name for yourself, despite the fact that you only joined recently!" Jose snarled, now making the room quake.

Now this had gotten Nic's attention for sure. Even Greninja was all ears as he was hiding away and was rotating the compressed water.

"Do tell." Nic said, intrigued by Jose's statement.

Jose glared and pointed an accusing finger. "Don't play coy with me boy! The guild masters in Clover caught sight of you defeating the demon known as Lullaby alongside some Fairy Tail Mages. And then, reports from Freesia say that a man named Luminous, alongside his animal accomplices, defeated three members of a Dark Guild as well as a demon!"

"Huh, didn't know I got a name. Guess that means I brighten up others' futures sort of speak." Nic said, trying to make sense of his new alias. Jose didn't take this likely.

Dark purple magic encased Jose's body and he roared. "I REFUSE TO HAVE SUCH SKILL BE MATCHED TO OURS! PHANTOM HAS ALWAYS BEEN AT THE TOP AND ALWAYS WILL BE!"

They were both cut off with a few compressed stars being spun and heading for Jose, which had cut straight through his magic. Jose saw these stars cut through his magic and managed to side step fast enough and watched as the stars crashed into some debris, slicing it up and crumbling. Jose looked over and saw Greninja go by Nic's side.

Nic looked at Geninja with a smirk. "So you decided to re-learn Water Shuriken. Not bad, I kind of missed that move as well, it cuts through a lot of our problems." Nic said in a casual tone. Both glared at Jose and saw his magic resurface again.

"Yup. So long Water Pulse." Greninja sighed as he made some cover for the two by using Smokescreen. Jose growled as his vision was blocked off. This only complicated things as he couldn't sense magic from either of them. This was troublesome for the Wizard Saint.

He then saw a Razor Leaf coming through the thick black smoke. Jose swiftly dodged it and saw it come another direction. He dodged that as well. He then saw Nic burst through the now dispatched Smokescreen. He used Grass Knot and managed to catch Jose's feet when Jose was trying to evade him. Jose fell on his face and then looked up at Nic, but then failed to see Greninja from above. Greninja came down with a brutal Bounce and smashed Jose into the ground.

Nic retracted his Grass Knot and Greninja returned to Nic's side.

"If I had to guess, I'd say he was just warming up." Greninja noted. Nic only nodded in response.

'_He wasn't using full power yet. This ain't good. Energy Ball and Leaf Blade were my best offense moves. I'll have to use a more strategic approach. That is, if I can.'_

They both tensed up when Jose got up and grinned. He wasn't going to hold back much longer, so Nic and Greninja had to end it, as in now!

* * *

><p><strong>With Erza and Co.<strong>

Everyone who had went to stop the Element Four eventually met up with one another. They all went and saw Natsu lying on the ground, tired but can still manage. Happy saw the guys coming towards them.

"Hey guys!" Happy shouted and flew over to Elfman, Mira, Gray, and Erza. All four had proceeded and made their way to where Natsu was. Arbok looked over and hissed. They all went up and looked down at the tired Dragon Slayer.

"Well, you did a number on the place, I'll give you that." Gray said, looking about the place. The place was nothing but a wreck. Even a few floors had debris on them from al of the rumbling that transpired between their brawl. For Natsu, for his explosiveness, one a scale of one to ten, you can say he breaks the scale twenty fold.

"So you've managed to beat Black Steel Gajeel I see." Erza noted, looking down at the defeated Gajeel. The poor guy just never caught himself a break with the defeats that have been piling up on his shoulders.

"Didn't even break a sweat." Natsu said. Arbok shook his head and Happy sighed, seeing how Natsu was being modest.

Mira then took note of Arbok's presence. Mira approached the Cobra Pokémon and looked up at it. "Are you one of Nic's Pokémon?" She asked curiously since she's only seen Greninja and Kecleon. Arbok nodded and then the ground shook, making the whole place tremble.

"What was that?" Happy asked. Arbok then set his body down and his head onto the floor, not moving an inch. Everyone watched as Arbok did this trick.

Natsu sat up and saw Arbok's head resting on the ground. "You tired or something?"

"I'm detecting the vibrations you idiot, now be quiet!" He scolded, freaking Natsu out a little.

"Man, this one is obedient to Nic, but when not him, he's a beast." Gray indicated.

"I said quiet!" Arbok scolded, making Gray step back. Now everyone was dead silent with Arbok detecting vibrations. After a good fifteen seconds, he lifted his head and looked at everyone.

"Nic-sssama isss doing battle with the Guild Massster assss we ssspeak." Arbok sounded much more mild since he was talking about Nic. Everyone, except Erza, was stunned to hear that Nic was doing battle with Jose.

"Is he an even bigger idiot than Natsu?! What the hell was he thinking?!" Gray shouted.

"He's fighting all by himself, pretty bold." Elfman said.

Erza looked at the ground. As much as she wanted to help, he could see that Nic and Greninja were in a big enough mess without them. She looked up at the others. "He's not alone. He has Greninja with him. Nd besides…" She turned and looked at the shore, and everyone followed her gaze "…we've got enough problems on our hands."

The team was shocked to see their Guild Hall being trashed by some large jellyfish being that was also tormenting their guild mates. The ground beneath them began to quake once again, signifying Nic's quarrel with the Ten Wizard Saint was heating up.

"It's not safe here. We need to get back to the guild and stop that thing." Erza said. Everyone there was reluctant to stop and turn when Nic was doing battle, but it was clear that if they did help him, no one would be there to help the guild members.

Even Natsu had trouble. He got to his feet and looked out at the destroyed Guild Hall. After a while, he turned his head and looked at the others. "Okay, let's go. Nic can handle this one."

The team was a bit surprised, but then again, this was Nic. He hasn't lost a fight yet. They all felt the same as Natsu. Though it didn't feel good to leave behind, they believed in him, and they had to put their priorities into making sure that the monster was stopped. No objections were made, and everyone started to look for an escape route as quick as they could. Happy started flying Natsu to shore, and Gray used his Ice Make: Floor to make a path that lead downwards and over the water.

Arbok had faith in his trainer. It was clear that Nic and Greninja had this covered. Arbok hissed and started following the others, deciding that this was one of those times to improvise.

* * *

><p><strong>With Nic and Greninja<strong>

"**Dark Pulse!**" Jose moved his arm in a long arc that was followed with a chain of explosions. The attack had such a massive range that Nic and Greninja didn't have any room to react. They were sent flying into the air and they smashed into the wall.

They both were wide eyed when they saw Jose readying an attack immediately after. Jose grinned. "**Dead Wave!**"

'_Uh oh.' _Both thought in unison. Upon instinct, Greninja used Dark Pulse and Nic used Seed Bomb to stop the attack. It resulted in a big explosion that nearly destroyed the room, not to mention the entire wall itself. The wall was completely destroyed, and it showed a view of the Fairy Tail Mages fighting hopelessly and failing. He just grinned triumphantly at the sight.

He looked over the edge and saw the rocks falling. He saw Nic and Greninja both landing on some rocks.

"Greninja!" Nic shouted.

"Got it!" They didn't need words to communicate, for they both knew what to do. That's why the two were unstoppable, they thought alike and read each other's minds and movements. A duo that no one can seem to beat single-handedly.

At any rate, Greninja grabbed Nic's wrist and yanked him up as he used Bounce to leap from rock to rock, all the way back up to Jose. Jose grunted with distaste as they made their way back up with the help of Greninja's Bounce.

Nic was then thrown upwards and was seen above Jose. Jose was ready for him and coated his fists in Darkness magic. Nic's arms were glowing and were enveloped in long sharp needles and he came down on Jose. Both collided with Darkness magic against Needle Arm this time. The two were exchanging a few blows, and then they collided once more, with neither side giving in. Both were trying to push the other back and overpower the other. They looked each other, dead in the eye as they were slowly overpowering the other.

Nic then grinned, which caught Jose off guard. "What could you find so amusing?"

He got an answer, it just came in the form of Bounce, of which that he couldn't dodge with Nic and him gripping one another. Greninja quickly jumped off and watched as Jose was getting back up. Nic's eyes glowed light green and two green-glowing vines burst from underneath Jose and intertwined with each other. The Grass Knot grabbed Jose's feet and made him airborne for a few split seconds before driving him into the ground. The Grass Knot was dispelled and Nic and Greninja backed away from the scene.

The two had exhausted some energy, with this being probably the opportunity, Nic was about to use Synthesis and gather whatever energy that was lost. Before he could do so however, Nic and Greninja both felt a sense of dread almost paralyzing them. This didn't feel good one bit. They felt a foul and malevolent energy skyrocket and it began to fill the room. It was so potent that the two were having a little difficulty in regards to their breathing. This sense of dread wasn't dying down, which prompt Nic to change into his Dread Plate Form, since that form could take in dread and filter it through him. His breathing became regular, but Greninja was still gasping quite a bit.

They both turned and saw where it was coming from. Jose rose from the small crater and he looked more demonic than ever. His eyes had turned black and dark purple energy enveloped him. He glared at the two with so much hatred swelling up.

"Makarov was the only one who could push me this far." He informed Nic and Greninja. "To think that youth such as yourself could cause me so much anguish…I was planning on killing you quickly…but now…you and your accomplice are going to suffer a slow and painful demise, watching each other wither away to nothing!"

Nic curse silently as Jose's Magic energy spiked. This wasn't good one bit. That meant his attacks were going to be increased, which had the two at a disadvantage. It's unlikely that they can block any future attacks if Jose cranked up the power even more. The two were huffing a bit, feeling exhaustion starting to kick in at this point.

"Now…" Jose was showing off the grin of a pure maniac.

The two fighters' eyes widened when the Wizard Saint disappeared in a split second. A cold chill ran down Nic's spine, though he was in his Dread Plate Form.

That maniac's voice was behind him. "…shall we begin, Luminous?"

* * *

><p><strong>With Lucy and Reedus<strong>

The two were riding another carriage that Reedus had created with his Magic. They riding through the forest and trying to get away.

After Kecleon had appeared and saved them, the two had ran off to a more safe location. They only knew one place that would be considered safe, and they believed the host wouldn't be too fond of their welcome.

They ventured into the East Forest of Magnolia Town to find this location. The location was easily confused, since it was a tree. They were able to find it regardless.

Within the sanctum, Porlyusica had noticed that Makarov was coming around. His body wasn't green anymore and he looked like himself again. He slowly began to open his eyes, seeing that he was inside Porlyusica's place. The place was indeed a hollow tree with natural remedies everywhere you looked.

Porlyusica tuned and started walking towards Makarov. "Seems that you're better."

Makarov slowly got up and began to get out of bed, and that's when Porlyusica slapped him.

"The heck was that for woman?" Makarov shouted.

"You deserved that for being such a reckless old fart." She said. "You still need your rest as well."

Makarov wasn't one to take things lying down, especially when his children are at stake. There was a war going on and he could sense it from where he was now. He got out of bed and started off. "Since when do I ever listen to you?"

Porlyusica shook off said comment and watched as he trailed off. "You're recovery was quick, especially with someone your age." She noted.

He then got on a long sleeve shirt that was purple and looked back at her. "Is that so?"

She then paused before saying words again. "Are you jst marching towards your death?"

"If it looks that way, then so be it. My children mean everything to me, and I won't risk seeing them fall to those monsters." Makarov replied. He then began walking towards the door, with Porlyusica's gaze never leaving him. He opened the door and looked back one more time. "Thank you for your help." He said somewhat rudely. He then exited the place and the door closed behind him.

Porlyusica then looked back to her old framed photos of Team Makarov. There was Goldmine, Bob, Makarov himself, a young Yajima, another guy, and herself included.

'_I swear. He never changes.'_

As Makarov was beginning to walk away, he saw a small carriage approaching from a distance. He made no attempt to move as he had recognized who was in it. The carriage had stopped a few meters ahead of him and peering from the driver's seat was Reedus and Lucy. Makarov looked up and saw the shocked look on their faces.

"Master, you're alright!" Reedus exclaimed. Makarov nodded as a reply.

Lucy looked in shock and jumped out of the carriage. "Master, you're okay!" Lucy exclaimed. She was about to walk over, but Master had no time.

"I can understand your concern, my children. Do not freight, I am well. We must go back and fight." Makarov said in a very serious tone.

This somewhat shocked the two. "For real?!" Lucy shouted.

"Yeah Master, are you sure that's such a good idea?"

Makarov looked down and closed his eyes. He paused and then spoke.

"We have to. For the sake of Fairy Tail. I will not abandon my children when they are risking their lives for our home." Makarov pointed out.

Lucy stepped forward towards him. "Master, they wanted me. They tried taking me prisoner, and we managed to escape. We came here to find refuge."

Makarov paused again and looked up. "Is that so? Well…" He then got into the carriage. "…I'll protect you, my children."

"Master." Lucy said.

"Let's get moving!" Master ordered. Just then, they felt something coming approaching. Lucy and Reedus turned, as did Makarov.

They all saw that it was Kecleon, who trailed them to make sure they weren't attacked along the way.

"It's you!" Lucy exclaimed. She ran up and saw that Kecleon was a bit damaged, but could still manage. "Are you okay?"

Kecleon looked up and tilted her head. "This software is still fully operated" She said. In a way, she was saying she was fine, though Lucy didn't have a clue.

"Ooookkayyy. Uh, what's happening so far?" She asked. Kecleon turned her head and looked back from where she had came from. She had a discern look as she turned to look at Lucy.

"The Abyss Break was put to a halt. The guys went in and are taking down Phantom as we speak." She responded.

Makarov was surprised. _'So, Jose had more tricks up his sleeve. My children had stopped him in his tracks. Now I must join in on the fight.'_

"There isn't much time. The Guild Hall is being trashed. We have to hurry." Kecleon then turned and jumped into the trees and started running. Lucy ran towards the carriage and got in. Reedus then turned the carriage around and they went back in the direction of the battle.

* * *

><p><strong>With Nic and Greninja<strong>

Keeping up with Jose was easier said than done. His Dark Beam was blasting away nonstop. Greninja managed to use Water Shuriken to cover more range and stop several shots, but more just kept blasting away with greater force. Nic and Greninja were all over the place, trying to evade Jose's powered-up assaults. They had little to no room to make a counterattack.

Nic reeled back when he saw Jose flash before him in an instant, his black eyes fixated to strike. Fortunately, Nic managed to get a surprise of his own in. Before Jose could thrust an elbow into Nic's gut, the Multitype Mage used a quick Sucker Punch and drove the fist into his face, driving them both into the air. Jose didn't look affected as he grabbed Nic's wrist and did a full three-sixty turn and threw him into the ground with a harsh crash sound.

"Nic!" Greninja shouted. Now Jose appeared in front of him as well. A large grin came across his face before he punched Greninja into an unbroken wall with a Darkness Magic coated fist.

Jose turned and saw Nic get up, he rammed into Nic with amazing speed and pinned him to the opposing wall by grabbing his throat. Jose watched as Nic was beginning to struggle. The evil glare on his face was getting even wider as he pinned Nic even harder, now driving a knee into his torso.

Nic gagged as pain flared almost everywhere in his body. He was literally against the wall and couldn't do much about it. He was only down to so few options.

He disappeared from Jose's site and grip and came from behind, via Feint Attack. He was about to deliver a kick when Jose brushed it away with his right arm when turning around and tried knocking him down with Dead Wave.

Nic narrowly dodged as the attack flew through the ceiling, making a rather large whole that showed the cloudy sky. The trainer and his pokémon saw this power boost. If one had hit them, it would mean lights out.

Nic then changed his approach by changing into his Meadow Plate once more. If he could somehow sap some energy, he could get the upper hand again.

Suddenly, the two felt something coiling around their bodies. The next thing that happened was that they were lifted off the ground by a long ghost made of Jose's Magic. They grunted in pain as the two shades tightened their hold on their two victims and electrocuted them, Nic saw Jose below them, grinning.

"You are indeed troublesome young Nic. You and your accomplice had come this far and had put me through my paces, but now you two will finally suffer the slow and painful deaths that has been eluding you two."

Nic had to think of a way to get out of this mess, him and Greninja. He could try using Feint Attack again, but that would take too much effort since he was stuck and being shocked at the same time. He could also try and use Leaf Blade; or would, if he could move his arms. His options were very limited now.

"Uh, Nic." Greninja asked Nic while stuck. "If you have any ideas, I would love it if you would…oh, I don't know…APPLY THEM!" Greninja hollered out the last part as he was shocked.

They both then heard Jose chuckle. "There you have it. Checkmate."

Nic and Greninja both then followed their gazes and saw through the shattered wall. Their eyes widened when they saw their Guild Hall destroyed. He sensed his guild members not doing well, but he didn't exactly sense the guild itself being trashed. The giant jellyfish shade had smashed the guild with its tentacles and he saw all of the heartbroken faces. He could see Cana crying, Macao punching the ground in anger. A lot of Fairy Tail members were screaming and crying. They were exhausted and almost defeated.

Jose chuckled at the sight of victory. He couldn't wait to be finished with Nic and move onto Makarov. He'll make him suffer a slow demise and watched his children die.

Jose then felt something change within the atmosphere. He frowned and saw where this energy was coming from. He saw that Nic was glaring in a feral manner at Jose. His eyes were filled with vengeance and such distaste.

Greninja looked at Nic and was wide eyed. "Uh oh. You've done it now clown head." Greninja said, which rewarded him a shock. Even Nic was shocked, but he didn't look as discomforted as were the previous shocks. It only made him spike in more distaste.

"You destroyed our Guild Hall…" Nic muttered in a foul manner. "…You had destroyed our home. The home that everyone cherishes…I'M GONNA BURY YOU AND STOMP ON YOUR GRAVE!"

Jose stepped back, but kept his cool. "My, my. It would appear that you don't like it when I destroy precious things. Your Guild Hall must be one of those things. Your guild mates will be next, so don't worry!"

Nic was then shocked, but that only mad him even more mad.

"JOSE! PREPARE FOR HELL!"

"Though I don't get as angry as my comrade here, I agree. You're going to wish that you've never messed with us!" Greninja shouted, now trying to overcome the repeated shocks.

Now Jose was facing two monsters ready to unleash their fury.

* * *

><p><strong>The fight will continue to next chapter. The Phantom Lord Arc will end and then I might make an Original Arc rather than have Nic go through the Loke Arc. Then comes The Tower of Heaven Arc, of which I got big plans for.<strong>

**Overall, were the two fights good up to this point? Arbok's participation was limited to just that. I didn't think that he shouldn't get too involved with two Dragon Slayers. I know I wouldn't.  
><strong>

**Let me make this clear: I know what Nic's last Pokémon will be, and I will not change it nor tell you until it appears in The Battle of Fairy Tail Arc. Period.**

**Let me know how you liked the battle between Nic and Jose up to this point. If you like it, then leave a review.**

**Please Favorite, Follow, & Review this story and/or chapter if you guys like the fight and action, as well as plot.**

**If you have any Reviews, make them as quick as you can overnight, because I'm jumping immediately into the next chapter rather than do another chapter on my other story.**

* * *

><p><strong>Next Time: A True Saint<strong>


	11. A True Saint

Chapter 11 – A True Saint

**Hey guys! Insane Dominator here, bringing you more action! You guys are the best, I'm getting quite a bit of positive reviews from the previous chapter in regards to Nic and Greninja's battle against Jose.**

**So apparently, you guys really favor the brawl and I am so glad that you guys like it. Hoping that the end of the fight will be as appealing to you guys. **

**I haven't got anything else to say and I've been holding you guys off long enough. Time to give you what you deserve for your patience. On with the fight!**

**FOREWARNING: Long chapter. Be ready.**

**To Recap:**

Erza easily took down Aria, thus stopping the Abyss Break Spell. With a small amount of help from Arbok, Natsu managed to overpower Gajeel and take him down. Nic and Greninja both finally confront Jose and they begin their epic brawl. Meanwhile, the Guild Hall was destroyed by Jose's shades. Makarov had finally recovered and Lucy and Reedus found him, taking him back to the guild to fight. As the fight escalates with Nic and Greninja, of whom re-learned Water Shuriken in place of Water Pulse, against Jose, Jose enjoys the sight of Fairy Tail's downfall, which had just unleashed the fury within Nic and Greninja.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11 – A True Saint<strong>

Cana wasn't having fun at all. Normally, she would just be at the bar and chugging down barrels of booze. If a fight got under way, she and Nic would move to the back of the bar and chill there. She could really use a barrel right now, because after all that has been going down she's going to need all the booze she can stomach when this is all over. At the moment, she had to make sure that the giant shade blob didn't destroy anyone just like it did with their Guild Hall.

Everyone there wasn't able to do anything. The only thing that was really an option at that point was watch as the blob finish destroying their Guild Hall. Tears were on a lot of faces, especially those who were low on Magic. Macao and Wakaba were both clenching their fist so hard that blood had almost stopped circulating to their hands. Cana felt her insides crumble and quake as the beast slammed the ruins of the Guild Hall yet again.

Nevertheless, she had to put forth all of the effort she can if she's going to stop this thing. She turned and looked at all of the weary faces about. The other guild members were just as shaken up as she was, if not worse. She had to pull herself together if she wanted to ensure Fairy Tail's survival. She turned and looked at everyone behind her.

"Everyone listen up!" Cana yelled, trying to get their undivided attention. "This is far from over. There's absolutely no way that we're letting it all here. Our Guild Hall may be destroyed, but we're still standing as proud Fairy Tail members. Our friends had put their best efforts into finally stopping the Abyss Break, and now we have to do the same and stop this thing. We're going to stop end this war because we are Fairy Tail!"

Everyone there cheered and were inspired by her speech. There was no way they were going to take a defeat lying down like they are now. If the guys inside were able to stop the Abyss Break, then they can stop this blob as well. The brunette let out a heap of air, relieved to see everyone not letting up now that she encouraged them. Who knew being in charge was so difficult? Nic had explained to her one time that he tells all of his pokémon what to do, maybe that leadership rubbed off on her, who knows. She's probably going to have to chat with him about this whole "Trainer" thing.

At this point in time, the giant monster had just finished pulverizing the Guild Hall. Now it had a new target in mind. The Fairy Tail Mages were in a tight bind with themselves as the new target.

"Everyone, unleash your strongest spells on one point!" Macao shouted out to the group. "If we do that, then this thing should stop!"

They all cheered and conjured up whatever magic they had left. This was all or nothing, and they weren't going to take nothing for an answer. They were all aware if this failed, then they were screwed.

"Now!" Cana ordered.

Cana fired the last of her cards, Macao unleashed his biggest purple flames yet, Wakaba unleashed a thick stream of smoke, and everybody in general unleashed their spells onto a single point. An explosion enveloped the monster and everyone's vision was obscured for a few moments. This also caused quite a bit of dust to be swirled about.

"Is it over? We won?" Wakaba said.

The dust was clearing up and every single one of their jaws dropped when they saw that the jellyfish shade was hardly even fazed. Cana almost cursed every word she knew when the monster turned out to be unaffected.

"Everyone, retreat!" Cana yelled. With all of their magic used up now, everyone was powerless and unable to do anything. The large shade then began approaching them and Cana was almost ready to shed a tear.

'_Somebody, help us.' _Cana mentally pleaded.

Several giant tentacles then rushed at the Mages that were running for cover. Out of the blue, several very large magic circles appeared and stopped the assault.

Everyone looked to see that Makarov has just arrived with Lucy and Reedus and Kecleon following not long after. They all started to shed tears of joy when they saw the Master well and standing again.

"Will you never harm my children!" Makarov proclaimed. He was floating in the air and had a lot of power ready to be unleashed. The guild members cheered.

The Master held up his two hands and two seals were shown, and then two large seals were on both sides of the giant jellyfish monster.

"Begone!" Makarov then brought his two hands with the seals together and a very bright light was unleashed on the large creature from the large seals. The light illuminated the area for a good few seconds as the monster screamed as it dissolved into nothing.

"We look on the bright side of things." Kecleon said. When they saw that the monster was no more, everyone at the scene cheered in honor of their Master.

* * *

><p><strong>With Erza and the others<strong>

Everyone panted as they had finally made it back to shore. The only ones who weren't panting were Natsu, Happy, and Arbok. Natsu didn't need to run since Happy had carried him all the ways. Arbok didn't pant at all since it didn't have feet to begin with.

The way back was longer than they had thought. They had to find another escape route since the giant had reshaped their entry point. Another factor was that Gray's Ice Make: Floor was starting to melt.

They all came back just in time to see Master destroy the horrid monster. They all looked over and saw everyone cheering for stopping the shades.

"Hey, it's Master!" Gray said, running with everyone up to where everyone else was. Everyone had finally caught up to the others that were with Master Makarov. Everyone cheered even louder with their safe return.

"The Master finished the job like a real man." Elfman noted.

Mira smiled, happy to see that Master had made a recovery and even vanquished a powerful threat. Happy had set Natsu down and he smirked at the Master.

"Well Gramps, you sure showed them." Natsu said. Arbok hissed as Kecleon walked up to his side.

"Lots of craziness today." Kecleon said.

"Tell me something I don't know." Arbok said, nonchalant.

"Thank goodness that you're alright Master." Erza said. Makarov nodded and looked at everyone and then looked at the team that had just went to stop the Abyss Break Spell.

"I am glad that you are all alright." Master said. Everyone then began to catch up with one another on the situations that they were all put through.

Lucy had begun explaining how Kecleon had saved her and Reedus, after which was when Natsu and Happy told how Arbok helped them out with the fight. Erza wasn't paying too much attention as the two explained how they went through some stuff. She was also glad that the Master was alive.

The scarlet-haired Mage was staring at Phantom's guild hall, thinking that not everyone has returned yet. Everyone then realized that Nic had yet to return, bringing forth some concerns within the guild members.

'_Nic, please be okay.'_ Erza thought, then everyone had noticed a large hole from the giant, revealing the battle that was taking place from inside.

* * *

><p><strong>With Nic and Greninja<strong>

This wasn't a good situation to be in, especially if you were the one who had just angered Nic. If you anger Nic, then you're going to wish that the apocalypse had ended you instead of him. Greninja wasn't as angry as Nic, but he can be just as destructive as him.

Both had lost count as to how many times they had been shocked, but they weren't paying attention. Nic was snarling and was really pissed off. Jose had destroyed the Guild Hall and was laughing about it, which wasn't the best thing to do in front of Nic.

Jose then noticed that Makarov had just arrived and destroyed his shades with his Light Magic. Seeing Makarov alive was a sight that disgusted him. He had a foul scowl on his face. Thanks to the hole from earlier, he also saw Natsu, Erza, and the others making it back to shore. He turned and looked at Nic with a murderous gaze.

"You through, because I'm ready to hammer your face into oblivion!" Nic said, rather foul. He was too caught up in battle to pay attention to Makarov and the others back on shore. He had a solution, and he was going to get him and his buddy out of the trap.

He inhaled and then had spit out a small seed from his mouth. The seed speeded its way and had landed itself onto Jose's outfit. Jose looked down and looked at the tiny seed and chuckled.

"Seriously? Is this all you have left-?" He was then feeling the seed sprout and vines rapidly started to tangle around his torso. The vines latched onto him and he looked on in shock.

"What is this?!" Jose demanded to know. Suddenly, he felt his energy being slowly sapped away, and he looked and saw that Nic wasn't as damaged as before. He was slowly sapping at Jose's energy, making him grunt and flinch. "My power…the hell?!"

Nic then started to glow turquoise and he then began engulfing the energy that bind him and Greninja in a green coating. The sunglasses on his eyes lit up red as the energy traced back to Jose and made him wail as he was being inflicted with a Leech Seed and Giga Drain combo. Nic kept this up for a nice ten seconds, and that's when Jose started trembling from energy loss and the magic that constricted him and Greninja was slowly dissolving, putting them both back on the ground. In mere moments, Jose was back on his feet, but was smashed in the face with a Needle Arm that drove him into an unbroken wall.

Nic snarled as he was just getting started. He had lots of energy now thanks to those two moves. Jose then appeared in front of him and the two were going back to back with Needle Arm and Darkness Magic enhanced fists. Each blow was terrifying. With every strike, wind surged with Jose's foul Magic and Nic's fury.

Leech Seed was still attached and Jose flinched as he felt himself get sapped, which left him open.

"**Dark Pulse!**" Greninja finally got his turn to unleash his fury and landed a clean hit with Dark Pulse smashing Jose and knocking him over. Nic then used Power Whip, making his arm extend and turn purple, and slammed Jose with all his might, making the ground quake and almost shatter. Jose was left in a ten foot diameter.

Nic then backed away to Greninja's side. Both of them felt good burning off steam, so their anger was beginning to filter.

They saw Jose come at them yet again, with more anger in his eyes as well. Both got a Darkness Magic coated fist. The two blocked it by grabbing the two fists and clenched on. They were almost shaking from the potential might of crushing Jose's hands. Jose grunted as he felt pain in the hands and the Leech Seed sapped at him yet again.

The both then unleashed a combination of Water Shuriken and Seed Bomb, which created dust and as well as another crater, though not as large as the Power Whip. Now their steam was pretty much used up.

They were both panting, Nic from back to back attacks, and Greninja with him not being able to recover from any damage. They both then shifted their gazes and noticed that the Guild Hall was still in ruins, but everyone was unharmed. He saw Makarov there, and Lucy and Natsu and everyone else, he saw Kecleon and Arbok, even a certain Requip Mage watching him fight. There was a long pause as he saw every one of them looking up at him with determination to win.

Seeing everyone okay was all it took for Nic's anger to dispel. Nobody was killed and everyone was putting their faith in the two. Both then looked at each other and smirked.

"Think we're winning?" Nic asked. The second he had finished saying that was when the ground shook with Jose rising up from the crater and making the Leech Seed decay from his Magic. His power was still growing and his maniac facial expression was still plastered on his face.

"Eh, we still got a ways to go." Greninja said.

Now that Nic could think straight with a more calm vibe, he thought of a way to get them the upper hand.

"Follow my lead." Nic then began dashing towards the broken wall that lead to the outside. Greninja followed in his steps, but Jose was determined to exterminate them on the spot.

"You're not going anywhere!" Jose shouted as he dashed towards Nic with speed that almost matched Greninja.

At this pace, Jose would cut him off before he could reach the edge. Greninja managed to pivot and throw a few Water Shurikens at Jose. He aimed at his feet so that his footing would be intercepted. Jose sidestepped as he was cut off from reaching Nic. Greninja followed Nic as they leaped off of the edge and plummeted down below.

Greninja had an impression as to what Nic was planning to do, and he thought he would follow along. Both sailed downwards, side by side, as a Dead Wave was sailing towards them at an alarming rate

* * *

><p><strong>With Erza and the others<strong>

"Nic!" Erza instinctively reached out towards him in a helpless manner. An overwhelming feeling, of which felt foreign to her, was stirring up inside of her. Gray and Elfman restrained her, yet they were as shocked as she was. Mira and Cana had their hands covering their mouths in deep shock. Lucy and Natsu couldn't believe what was happening. Arbok and Kecleon looked on in disbelief.

Everyone watched as Nic and the Ninja Pokémon were leaping out of the structure. They watched as Greninja was now sailing by Nic's side and then the unthinkable happened.

They all saw Jose standing at the edge of the barely standing Guild Hall. He had a large Magic Seal that was aimed at the two and then unleashed a brutal attack.

"**Dead Wave!**" The spell was coming in too fast. They all saw as Nic flipped himself to face the attack and put his arms up to block it as the attack enveloped him and his pal.

Erza was standing there, feeling as though all time in the world has ceased to move. That image replayed in her head twenty times over in a span of two seconds. She didn't want to believe it, she couldn't. Maybe this was all just a big illusion to her, or maybe her eyes were playing tricks with her and that she missed something. There was no way. Nic couldn't be…

She felt something wet and salty starting to run down her cheek.

Kecleon stood there in disbelief. She had tilted her head so far that maybe she was seeing a fake image of Nic getting destroyed along with Greninja. She straightened up and slumped forward with her mouth wide open.

"No…no…the wheels have stopped spinning…" She muttered.

Arbok was completely still, not a single muscle moved. He was baffled with the vision of his loyal and friendly family and Nic getting vaporized in front of his eyes. The one human he was open to was destroyed, gone. Greninja was gone as well, another family member he was friendly with.

"Nic-ssssssssama." Arbok lowered his head and a tear was beginning to streak down his scaly face.

* * *

><p><strong>With Jose<strong>

Jose had on a triumphant grin, showing his teeth as he gazed downwards at the sea. The boy and his ninja frog was gone for good this time. He saw it as the purple explosion indicated such an assumption. He was really strong, as was his accomplice. Their skills in battle were remarkable and proficient. It was such a shame that they had to be destroyed. It was a well fought battle that had sure gave Jose a run for his money.

Jose chuckled and then turned his murderous upon a wide eyed Makarov, who was still in shock of Nic's demise. Now that one obstacle was out of the way, he had to take down Makarov, and then make him suffer as his children fall after, and then the Heartfilia girl will finally be in his grasp.

"Well Makarov, now that one of your precious children has fallen, it's time for you to join him and his frog friend as well! You'll see your children suffer and-!"

Suddenly, the ground beneath Jose was beginning to quake harshly. It started out low and quickly escalated. The next thing he saw was that the ground bared a huge hole that was opened up by a huge single Water Shuriken surrounded by multiple Air Slash attacks, making it look like a slicing galaxy of sorts. The attack's sides were able to strike Jose, tearing up his clothing, mainly ripping his shoulder cape and leaving a large fraction of his left sleeve clothing torn off. Jose flew back and skid as he saw the attack skyrocket and break the entire ceiling, basically slicing up all of the rock that would've fallen and it escalated and went up into the sky and a large scale explosion of blue and sky blue erupted. Not a single piece of debris fell from that attack, mainly because it was all sliced up from the combination of a compressed shuriken and several air saws rotating around it. Anything that were to be touched could have been obliterated on the spot.

He slowly approached the wide hole and peered downwards, only to get a Wing Attack to the face. He leaped back and a Dark Pulse ran towards him. He managed to leap and evade the attack, but just barely. He stopped and saw Nic flapping in the air with Greninja landing safely.

Jose gritted his teeth and touched the part of his face that took the Wing Attack.

"You! How did you survive?!" He scowled.

Nic slowly descended to the floor and shifted back into the Meadow Plate. "Let's just say that we found a back route."

_As Nic and Greninja were descending, the Dead Wave attack was catching up to them fast. Nic turned and had his forearms forward. What nobody saw was that a green force field with spikes had protected Nic and Greninja s they were falling almost at the point of impact. The explosion itself was found incapable of passing by the Spiky Shield. _

_As they continued to fall, with the explosion as cover, Nic shifted into his Sky Plate Form and flew towards the bottom of the giant with Greninja flying on his back. Fortunately, the bottom of the giant wasn't plunged in the sea, so there was a perfect opening._

_Everyone was still fixated on what they thought was a casualty, so not a single person saw through the explosion._

"_What do you say, we give him a hello from down under?" Nic rhetorically asked his ninja pal._

_Greninja smirked. "Let's make it a big welcome."_

_Greninja began to prepare Water Shuriken, and then combined all of his shurikens into a giant shuriken that was over his head. Greninja jumped and threw the massive single Water Shuriken at the bottom. Nic added a twist by using Air Slash and making the attack circle about the Shuriken, giving it far more destructive power, as well as more cutting power. _

_They both smirked as the destructive attack easily shredded through the bottom of the giant and passed through multiple floors, all the way through Jose's floor. Nic quickly caught Greninja and had him hold onto his back while Nic soared with great speed through the holes that the shuriken made. As they were about to reach Jose, of whom peeked over at the time, he got ready for a Wing Attack._

"You annoying Fairy Tail scum!" Jose shouted, unleashing another Dead Wave. His attack, however, was weaker than the previous shot, showing that he was running low on Magic.

Nic and Greninja were able to intercept the attack now that it was shown to be weaker. They were able to cancel it out with a Dark Pulse and Leaf Tornado combo, of which Nic produced by rotating his arms in two separate directions and making a variety of green winds and light green leaves appear and make a tornado strike the Dead Wave. The result was a small explosion that didn't push anyone back, but did shake up the place again and produce strong winds that lasted for ten seconds or so.

* * *

><p><strong>With Erza and the others<strong>

Every person cheered when they saw Nic slug Jose with a Wing Attack, of which was followed up by a Dark Pulse from Greninja. Erza was so relieved. She was almost gasping for air at the sight of him not being dead. She had a smile on her face as she quickly wiped away the few tears that had fallen while she thought he was obliterated into nothingness.

"What's with that guy! He made us worry for nothing!" Cana said in irritation. Erza could see that Cana was worried about Nic herself, but the two were glad that he was found unharmed. "I'm going to kill him for doing a stunt like that!"

"Not before I do." Erza told her.

"I want in too!" Mira added.

Makarov overheard the three girls talking and couldn't help but chuckle. He was just as worried as they were when he thought Nic was blasted, but it didn't prove necessary as the Multitype Mage and his Greninja came rushing through the ground and delivered a hit on Jose. It made him wonder how he pulled off such a trick. This also made him wonder as to what other tricks Nic's was hiding.

This also begged the question as to how much stamina the boy and his Greninja have. It's clear that they have above average stamina if they can match a Wizard Saint.

Arbok and Kecleon both looked up and were speechless. They should have never doubted Nic's skills. They've been with him long enough to know that by now. The two were almost wide eyed and practically smiling. They turned towards each other and smirked, knowing that Nic hasn't let them down yet.

"Nic had us there for a moment." Kecleon said to her slithery pal.

"Nic-sssama issss unpredictable that way." Arbok agreed.

They both then turned and looked back at the action that was transpiring with Nic and Greninja both now on equal grounds with Jose.

* * *

><p><strong>With Nic and Greninja<strong>

Jose did another Dark Pulse, moving his arm in a swift arc that was followed with explosions. Greninja easily evaded with Bounce with Nic being attached. In a split second, Jose was in the air with them and he tried to do a point blank Dead Wave, of which was intercepted with a point blank Dark Pulse and Energy Ball. The explosion created a violent tempest that had crashed all three into walls, with Jose being on the opposing wall. All three were slowly getting back up, and every single cell in their bodies were aching.

If you were to imagine it, you would see a big hole in the floor from the surprise shuriken, an entire wall shattered and revealing the Fairy Tail Guild looking up, three adjacent walls severely cracked, a shattered floor from multiple craters, giving it a more moon-like look, and no roof.

Greninja couldn't take much more, neither could Jose; however, Nic was holding up due to the energy he had repleted thanks to that Giga Drain and Leech Seed combo. That explosion did hurt him pretty bad, so it's not like that energy boost was long-lasting for him. They had to end this battle, as in now.

Jose had the exact same thought. It was time to finish this. He stood affirm and was gathering a very large sum of Magic energy, now making the place quake yet again. Thank god Natsu wasn't in this fight, otherwise he would be motion sick all over the place from the building shaking a multitude of times. Anyways, Jose's power skyrocketed once again.

"Say your prayers and bow to me before I obliterate you!" Jose demanded. He let out a maniac-like screech as he conjured a large amount of his Darkness Magic, the energy shaping with countless ghosts in purple energy. All of that power being concentrated into the center of him. It was so dense that the floor beneath him was beginning to crack and the air around him was distorting.

As Jose was preparing his final assault to end this for good, Nic quickly talked with Greninja, formulating a plan.

"That attack will destroy the place, and us if it hits." Greninja indicated.

"Yet it's directed at us, so if it misses then it would just obliterate this side of the building…" Nic was then going into more detail as he and Greninja both had roughly ten seconds before the blast was unleashed. After a nod, the two had agreed on a strategy to end this for good.

Greninja used Smokescreen and covered Jose's vision of them as Nic and his pal were in a thick black cloud of smoke. Jose smiled evilly. "You fools! That trick won't work! Speed or stealth, you can't hide from me anymore! NOW DIE!"

He got no response from within the smoke cloud.

Jose roared and unleashed his fury. "This is it! **Phantom Eradicator!**"

Jose had then unleashed the massive assault of Magic at them. The blast so large and so forceful that it could've leveled half of Magnolia. The wave of immense energy completely destroyed a third of the giant, showing that a small fraction of its left leg and its entire arm was obliterated. He didn't give a damn, so long as the guy and his frog was terminated for good.

However, he heard the ground from behind him break and Nic and Greninja jumped through, and Jose saw Nic looking at him dead in the eye, starting to glow a bright green.

"But how?!" Jose was at a loss for words. How could they have evaded his most devastating assault? He then noticed as he shifted his feet that the flooring wasn't as sturdy.

_Within the Smokescreen cloud, Nic and Greninja decided to go under again. The Ninja Pokémon put his hands on the floor and pushed through with Dark Pulse, breaking the ground beneath them. Since the floor was so thin, thanks to the repeated assaults and quakes that made the floor as it was, it could be blasted through with ease. As they fell to the floor beneath them, they saw Jose unleash his attack. They instantly began sprinting forward to avoid the blast's range as it annihilated the flooring behind them. _

_They were now directly under Jose by one floor. They side stepped so that they were behind when they came up and Nic used Seed Bomb and threw it up, making a big enough hole for them to leap out of with Greninja's jumping skills, enabling Greninja to drag Nic upwards with him as Nic was now slowly glowing a bright green._

Jose instantly turned around, infuriated beyond measurement. His last attack had took almost every bit of Magic from him. He had very little left.

"You Fairy Tail rodents! You'll pay!" Jose scowled.

Nic took in a deep breath and that was Greninja's cue to get out. He leaped out of the structure at the speed of a ninja and looked back at Nic.

"Bring it on home!" Greninja shouted, indicating Nic's big finish. He turned and was using Bounce one last time to get out of the giant monstrosity.

Nic then began to glow brighter as Jose was trying to muster up whatever energy he had left over, which was enough for one Dead Wave. Jose unleashed his attack at Nic, but the Dead Wave didn't even touch him as the light of pure green energy vaporized the blast of darkness.

"This ends now. **Legendary Arts: Seed Flare!**" Nic then unleashed a huge green explosion of purified nature.

Jose let loose an agonizing scream as the light green explosion engulfed him.

* * *

><p><strong>With Erza and the others<strong>

Everyone who was watching was astounded with Nic and Greninja were keeping up with Jose once more. They all saw Jose gather up energy and saw Nic and Greninja disguise their strategy with Smokescreen. They all stepped back and covered up as Jose had unleashed his destructive blast that was so large that a third of his building was gone just like that.

Everyone stood in deep shock as to the power increase Jose had utilized. Makarov stood there, feeling that the power spike was even bigger than last time. They all stood silent, hoping that Nic and Greninja didn't die, not again. They all were cheering once more when they found Nic and Greninja bursting from behind, Erza was surprised especially. That blast had come in so fast and so powerful. She knew Nic was fast, but not that fast to instantly start dashing forward to make a narrow escape.

What perplexed them was how Greninja was leaping out of the massive structure when Nic was glowing. Not many people didn't figure it out until they felt a huge amount of energy being unleashed in the form of a pure green explosion. They all covered up from the green light that engulfed a majority of whatever was remaining of the Phantom Lord Guild.

Some felt the foul Magic from all around just instantly vanish. They all felt the light vanquishing any and all that was polluted and foul, mainly remnants of Jose's Magic that was still fairly high in concentration.

The light had lasted for a god twenty or so seconds. Everyone down at the ruins of Fairy Tail was stunned to say the least. Greninja had landed with grace on shore and turned his gaze at the now fading light from the explosion of nature.

Erza was lost in her own gaze at the sight of the defeat of a Wizard Saint. Nic was this strong? Well, at least now they knew why Greninja had to evacuate.

"The heck was that all about?" Wakaba shouted.

"Yeah. Just what exactly was that?" Macao wanted to know, not sure as to what it was. Greninja turned and looked at the two adults.

"That, people, was none other than Nic's grand finish." Greninja grinned at Arbok and Kecleon, of whom grinned back at a job well done by everyone doing their part.

"You kidding me?" Macao shouted. "Nic unleashed that much power?"

"Who else could pull off a move like that?" Greninja rhetorically asked. The guild members had varied reactions to Nic's big finish. Some were cheering, as to where some were staring wide eyed in shock.

There was a small amount of silence, of which was finally broken by the sound of Phantom's Guild starting to crumble. The entire structure was slowly crumbling away into a pile of rubble. Chunks of debris fell and the structure shuddered as it was slowly breaking down. It was to be expected from the continuous battle that had happened throughout the place. The two people who really did the mist destruction overall was Natsu and Nic. Both were pretty destructive in their fights, it was hard to tell who was more destructive. They all silently played that Nic wouldn't become a second Natsu.

"With, Nic is still in there!" Mira shouted.

Everyone then went into instant panic mode. They all shrieked as the structure crumbled and fell apart with Nic inside. Mira and Cana both stood wide eyed as the event happened, as to where Erza was speechless. Is Nic going to make it out okay? Her mind was beginning to process over several different concerns in regards to him.

The only ones not freaking out or gawking at the site were the pokémon. They all stared out at the scene, looking ahead at the scene. Arbok hissed as Greninja smirked, and Kecleon tilted her head. They knew the outcome and knew for a fact that Nic was going to come out okay.

And he did.

Everyone saw dust beginning to fly from the structure, but that wasn't the only thing that was flying. Everyone pointed in surprise to see Nic soaring out of the wreckage in his Sky Plate Form. All of Fairy Tail cheered as Nic was sailing at them, coming back safe and sound. He flew in and came to a rather sloppy landing. He came inwards at an angle and he extended his legs out to land. He descended and his feet touched the ground and he ran a few feet as he transformed back into himself. Due to massive fatigue, he tubled a few times with the momentum from flying in and finally stopped with him on one knee and panting.

He then slowly got back upon his two feet, and he was found as the center of attention with all of Fairy Tail surrounding him. He was banged up a bit, but so was Greninja. He turned and noticed that everyone was staring at him. He did what came naturally: improvised.

Nic slowly scanned everyone and did a full three-sixty survey and saw everybody. He then stopped and did one of those awkward silent moments. "Uh, hi?"

Everyone got over their initial shock and they all erupted in loud and joyful cheers. They all swarmed him and everyone gathered around him for details. They wanted to know how he did all of those sweet moves and did that big finish. Too many questions were being asked and so little room to answer. Some were just happy to see him alive and well. Some gave him pats on the back and hugs were exchanged. In general, the public was happy with Nic's safety.

"You made our hearts jump too many times." Macao told him.

"What can I say, I keep things interesting to say the least." Nic said.

Roughly after a good few moments of glory, everyone grew silent and made way for Master Makarov and Nic's pokémon. The old man looked up and smiled at him.

"Nic, you did well. Here I thought Jose and I were a match for one another, now I see that there is another who can show Jose the flaws he had accumulated. You and your friends have done well to protect all of Fairy Tail. Thanks to you, Phantom Lord is defeated." Makarov praised him.

Everyone cheered again from such a worthy praise. Nic didn't know what to say.

"Gee, I guess I can say is that I showed him what it means to be a saint. Not a Wizard Saint, but someone who protets and stands up for those who are in need of help." Nic said.

Makarov nodded. "I couldn't agree more."

His pokémon then began to approach him. Greninja, Arbok, and Kecleon all stood in front of Nic. With no words to describe how proud everyone was with one another, Nic brought them in for a meaningful group hug.

"You guys are the best." Nic said to all three.

"We're the brightest stars out there." Kecleon muttered.

"Nic-ssssama. There are no wordsss to dessscribe how proud I am to be part of sssuch a great family." Arbok said.

"Same." Nic said. They all backed away and Greninja and Nic both grinned at one another. Both were mighty proud of each other's valor in battle. Nic was especially satisfied with Greninja's efforts to re-learn Water Shuriken.

"I just realized something." Nic said, getting everyone's curiosity.

"What?" Greninja asked.

"…I haven't eaten all day. It's chow time." Nic said in a casual manner. Everyone just laughed with Nic as he created slight humor.

Then three people emerged from the crowd. Nic didn't know why, but he felt a strange vibe coming from Erza, Mira, and Cana as they were walking up to him with sweet smiles across their faces.

"Hi, Nic." Mira greeted in a sweet voice. "We were so glad that you turned out okay."

Cana nodded, still smiling all too sweet-like.

"You made us worry Nic. You had us on edge." Cana said.

"We were so worried that something drastic happened." Erza said. They all took just one step further, and that was when Nic sensed a killing intent, mainly directed at him. "Especially when we thought you were killed from that fall."

It was then that Nic began to feel his appetite go south as he saw the black aura of certain death surrounding the three young women. He looked at Greninja, of whom felt sorry to be in his shoes right now. Nic had enough pain today, and he most certainly didn't want to deal with any more of it, he needed a break.

"What do you think, just this once?" Nic leaned in and questioned his pal. The three beautiful angels of death were slowly approaching him. He might as well poke some fun since all that has happened was non-stop brawling.

"Fine, but next time you're on your own." Greninja quietly said to his best friend.

The three women began cracking their knuckles while still wearing those sweet smiles. They looked as though they wanted to put the hurt on someone, mainly a certain Multitype Mage who made them worry.

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!" Nic teased as Greninja applied cover for Nic with Smokescreen, obscuring everyone's vision for a brief few seconds. When the smoke cleared, Nic was very well almost out of sight.

"NIC!" The three girls screamed and chased after the hero. Everyone else just laughed at Nic's misfortune; that is, if he gets caught. Greninja and the other two smirked and chuckled at Nic's hilarious actions.

"He's on his own next time." Greninja amusingly grinned.

* * *

><p><strong>One week later…<strong>

The whole ordeal with Phantom had finally came to an end, and the guild was slowly progressing back to its old, loud, and rowdy self; well, as normal as it can get.

Within a span of a few days, a lot of stuff went down in regards to the incident. The Royal Army came to do a full investigation just after Phantom's defeat. Each of the members were thoroughly questioned and were given answers in regards to what went down. Master Makarov had to go to Era to speak with the Magic Council. Nic tagged along on behalf of Mira's request. She told him to go along just because it would be better to chaperone the Master, as well as keep a watchful eye on the Council.

At the meeting, Nic observed with mild distaste. He had animosity towards the Council and he prayed that this wouldn't take long, because he couldn't stand authority. He did find it amusing to see Master feeling the same as him, though Master slept in response rather than grit his teeth and frown the entire time like Nic did. He had to suppress every growl that came up his throat when he heard the Council talk about Fairy Tail and how destructive it always is. Nic made quick eye contact with Seigrain, the man who has a connection with Erza. Just what exactly is that connection? Nic had to restrain as much demonic glares as he could, he couldn't afford to get into trouble, not that he wasn't trying to. It's all pure instincts that's driving Nic mad at the sight of Seigrain being amused by Fairy Tail's antics.

However, Nic could tell that Seigrain felt uncomfortable around him, being annoyed and uneasy. Seigrain was trying to hide this from Nic, thought he was having as much trouble as Nic trying to suppress his demeanor.

Nic was so relieved that the meeting concluded. For some odd reason, Ultear kept gazing and leering at Nic, of whom felt very uncomfortable with her action.

Nic was just satisfied that the entire ordeal was over. Politics, rules, and authority was a big pain. In the end, the blame was put on Phantom Lord and no charges were put on Fairy Tail. Jose was even stripped of his title as a Wizard Saint and Phantom Lord was disbanded.

Throughout the last couple or so days, Nic had been taking it easy from the action. He definitely earned it. Mira was at the temporary bar, tending to stuff. Lucy was lounging about, rather bored from lack of work. The Guild Hal was getting repairs done, but expenses and materials were needed to be paid for. Everyone had been doubling the amount of jobs just to pay for those things. It wasn't as lively, but it was still Fairy Tail to say the least.

"Ugh. Job requests are so slow today. I can't seem to find a decent job." Lucy complained, resting her head on her hand.

A half-naked Gray looked over, though he didn't notice himself shirtless. "Just relax. Everyone isn't as picky when it comes to jobs, especially at those point. We need all of the money we can get if we're to fix this place. Nic even dipped into his savings and pulled out a chunk of his loot." Gray informed her, but that didn't make her feel any better.

"At least he has money. We didn't get squat from that stupid S-Class Galuna Island request." Lucy berated. Obviously, she wasn't in the best mood. She was running low on money and she needed to find a job that didn't involve Natsu obliterating something that sucked up their reward sum.

Nic was lying his head down on the far end of the bar, resting his head on his arms and just chilling after chowing down. After those events that transpired, he must have eaten as much as Natsu always does, if not more.

Speaking of which, Natsu was passing by, sitting a few stools away from Nic. He was sulking. Erza and Happy followed behind, where they both sat down. Happy sat on the counter in front of Natsu, who was right next to Lucy and Gray, and Erza sat right next to Nic, filling the gap between them.

Nic opened his eyes, still with his head lying on his arms, and looked at the sulking Natsu. "I take it that he got his goose cooked, yes?" Nic asked the red-head beauty that was right next to him.

"Aye, she destroyed him." Happy answered. Erza was helping with construction and Natsu kept asking for a challenge, of which Erza eventually accepted. They took that time for a quick battle, of which Erza won with ease. She requiped into her Heart Kreuz rather than her construction outfit and didn't have a single scratch.

"Next time, I'll get the win for sure." Natsu grumbled.

Erza had proceeded to ordering her usual strawberry cheesecake from Mira when she looked over at Nic, who looked rather appeased at this time.

Erza looked at him and saw how calm and serene Nic was when he closed his eyes once more. Compared to battle she saw, he was as tranquil as can be. She couldn't help but feel all calm herself. Nic gave off a calm vibe when he was like this, making others feel more comfortable around him. She then wondered what kind of vibe she would be feeling if she were to be battling him. She recalled seeing Nic having a variety of emotions with his battle with Jose. She saw those emotions range from strong confidence to a deranged monstrosity. She couldn't put her finger on as to what kind of fighter Nic was, it probably depended on the circumstances maybe.

Mira had arrived with her cake just as Erza was thinking about said conflictions. Mira gave Erza the cake, of which she thanked her.

Mira giggled, seeing how Nic was so calm and Erza was looking funny around him. She knew it all too well.

"Maybe I should call the people at Sorcerer's Weekly. They could use a male model that the girls would just love to get their hands on." Mira teased. At that instant, Nic's eyes shot open and both Erza and Nic's faces blushed a deep red.

Nic blushed because of the fact that Mira thinks he's hot. Erza was blushing because she couldn't help but picture Nic as a model, but then was consumed in the red of jealousy of the potential women that Nic might attract.

Mira giggled at the blushes on their faces, thinking how much they enjoyed that little comment, of which they really didn't.

Lucy then noticed that three people were walking up to them. It was Levy, Jet and Droy. Lucy immediately got up and ran up to Team Shadow Gear.

"Levy!" Lucy shouted. When they heard Lucy shouting Levy's name, everyone at the bar instantly arose from their seats and went to meet up with the now fully recovered trio.

"Hey Lucy!" Levy said, happy to see her friend okay as well. Jet and Droy were back up to one hundred percent thanks to that cranky healer of a Porlyusica. Lucy and Levy both exchange hugs of relief. Everyone was so glad that they were up and about, especially after such craziness. The three then approached Nic.

"Look who's up and abou-." He was interrupted with Levy hugged him as a thank you.

"Thank you so much, Nic." Levy said as she began to pull away.

Jet and Droy both stepped forward. "Yeah, if it weren't for you, Levy would've been in the same state we were in." Jet thanked Nic.

"You really helped us out back there. We owe ya big time. Name it." Droy said.

Nic smiled. "It's fine guys, really. I would never turn my back on someone who needs help." Nic having to save them from Gajeel that time was rewarding enough to him. It felt good that he did good, which was really good since he's good. It's a bunch of goodness.

All of the good then died when the sound of a snobbish blonde S-Class was heard. Laxus just had to go and ruin the mood. "Man! This guild has lost its edge. This guild has nothing but babies and frightened little dogs scurrying about."

Laxus was sitting at a table all by himself with an arrogant grin on his no-good face. He then looked back at Team Shadow Gear. "Especially you sorry morons. I'm glad I never learned your names. You guys are a big disgrace to this guild!"

Team Shadow Gear then looked down in pity, being berated by such an arrogant punk. It couldn't be helped, this was Laxus after all. Still, taking such a harsh reprimanding from him was something that no one could stand for.

He then turned and directed his insults at Lucy. "And that leaves you, the little Miss wannabe Wizard. No know, none of this would've happened if you would have just kept your feet engraved into your mansion." Laxus's insult was even more harsh than with Team Shadow Gear's insult.

Mira glared harshly at him. "Laxus! Shut it. The Master told that no one was to be held responsible for Phantom's assault. The matter is settled, so there's nothing to talk about now that's all behind us."

Laxus got up and smirked ever so arrogantly. "All behind? Hah! The Guild Hall is a pile of rubble now thanks to you sorry slouches!"

Erza and Natsu had just about enough of Laxus's smart mouth comments.

"You-!" Erza was just about to draw her sword when Natsu got ahead of her and encased his fist in fire.

"We've had enough of you!" Natsu shouted, lunging at Laxus, of whom wasn't even batting an eyelash.

The man kept his smirk on his face as the Fire Dragon Slayer. Laxus disappeared in a bolt of lightning at the last second, leaving Natsu to fall forward.

"Too slow you walking ember." Laxus said, reappearing behind him.

Natsu turned back in frustration, demanding that Laxus should fight like a man, something that Elfman would say.

"Come on Laxus, fight me for real!" Shouted an annoyed Dragon Slayer. Laxus chuckled at how Natsu wants to fight against a guy like him.

"You can't even touch me idiot!" Laxus berated.

He was about to make another comment about Fairy Tail and its sorry state, but was stopped cold when he felt something like energy touching his neck. Everyone gasped as Nic stood behind Laxus in his Meadow Plate Form with a Leaf Blade to his jugular.

"You're not the only one who acts in an instant." Nic said in a cold voice. "I would keep my mouth shut if I were you. Keep being a snob and you'll get no mercy from me." Nic was more ticked than Erza and Natsu put together. Everyone had sensed the vibe change emanating from Nic. It wasn't calm anymore, more like a threatening beast ready to unleash his fury if anyone were to get hurt by Laxus.

Laxus smirked. Once again, he vanished in a bolt of lightning and quickly reappeared behind Nic and put him in a one armed choke hold.

Erza and the others nearly flipped when they saw Nic getting choked by Laxus. Erza was just about ready to requip into a different set of armor the moment Laxus starts to tighten his hold.

"Heh! Just because you took down that geezer Jose doesn't mean that you're on par with me." Laxus said. Nic glowed and then disappeared almost instantly from Laxus's hold. Laxus tensed when he felt something with a sharp and dark energy-like tip touch the back of his neck. He was wide eyed in deep shock that Nic swiftly transformed into the Dread Plate and did a Feint Attack to disappear and had Laxus from behind.

Nic stood behind a frozen Laxus, with Night Slash positioned to strike. "Like I said, you're not the only one who acts in an instant." He said in a somewhat less menacing tone than from before.

If the guild members weren't shocked before, they were now. They all had the same thought. _'So fast!'_

There was a super intense silence that followed. Every single person in the guild could feel the air getting thick with anxiety. It was so thick that you could slice it with a knife. Just the slightest provocation from either person could lead to a full-on brawl to the death between the two. Laxus was beginning to spark all over as to where Nic had sharpened his Night Slash. If a fight were to break out, here and now, they might destroy the entire town of Magnolia, as well as themselves.

Everyone knew just how powerful Laxus was. He wasn't S-Class for any other reason. He could easily take on every single person in the entire guild and not even break a sweat. Nic, however, was an absolute mystery to them all. He had just defeated Jose, who was one of the Ten Wizard Saints, meaning he was one of the ten most powerful people in all of Fiore. Up to this point, Nic hasn't lost to anyone yet. The Mage with sunglasses always came out on top, whether it would be Lullaby, Natsu, The Nightmare, Gajeel, the Element Four, or Jose. No one knew what Nic was capable of.

The point being was that it wouldn't be pretty to see the two duking it out.

"That would be enough from both of you!" Makarov ordered, walking up to the scene. It was easy to tell by the look on his face that he wasn't too thrilled with the animosity stirring up with the two.

Nic reluctantly backed away and reverted back into himself. Laxus slowly stood up straight and tried to suppress his anger for the time being. He stopped with the sparks and looked at the upset Master, of whom was his grandfather. Laxus gave a distasteful grunt and began to walk away.

"This guild is going to be mine one day, don't you forget that. Whether you like it or not, your days are numbered Fairy Tail weaklings! I'll shape this guild into the most powerful guild in existence."

He then stooped and turned back to have a glare down with Nic. "As for you, this isn't over you amateur punk. Next time we cross paths, gramps won't be there to save your ass. You better watch your back."

"Same goes for you." Nic wasn't afraid of Laxus one bit. People were afraid of Laxus because of his power, but if anything, Nic's fury and unknown strength trumps the arrogant being's power.

Everyone was still silent as Nic stood there as Laxus departed in a lightning bolt. He looked on and snarled once more before settling down, glad that Laxus had left. He then went off somewhere to chillax.

"Where's Nic going?" Lucy wondered. Mira leaned over and watched Nic take off and towards another direction.

"He might be going off to ease himself. Can't blame him though. He's been through so much ever since he's joined Fairy Tail." Mira explained. "Coming from another world must be life changing."

* * *

><p><strong>Two hours later…<strong>

Nic was lying back against a wall that was being assembled. Charizard was helping out in construction for two reasons: one, he wanted to get some exercise; and two, because he can. He was working regularly, but he decided to chill for a little bit before getting back to work.

Charizard looked down at Nic. Nic was looking pretty calm with earbuds in his ears, listening to his music. Charizard tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Yeah?" Nic put his earbuds away and looked up at his flaming buddy.

"Nic, tell me, what is it that's been bothering you?" Charizard asked. He knew something was troubling Nic. He groaned slid back, now looking up at the sky.

"I don't know. There's so many people that are taking the wrong path. Gajeel, Phantom Lord, and now that Laxus guy. I'm not liking this atmosphere that's floating about." Nic admitted. This was fairly accurate though. A lot more hysteria has happened ever since they came to Earthland. Regardless, they had a mission to save the universe, and is they failed, every living thing would be screwed.

Charizard looked up and watched the clouds go by as well. "Same. More violent and crazy, I'll give it that."

Nic then turned his head towards his buddy. "Tell me, what do you think Arceus is doing right now?"

Charizard had to picture from what he saw through his poke ball. Arceus was fairly ill and was barely able to stand. Considering that was awhile ago, he might be in a more fatal condition.

Charizard paused before answering. "I don't know." Nic then turned his head back up and sighed.

"Hey Nic." The sound of Erza's voice made him sit back up. He instantly drew his attention up towards the red-head that was looking down at him. "You okay?"

To be fair, Nic is stressed with everything that has been going on. Various conflicts, the recent war, Natsu and Gray fighting, people getting hurt. It's all making Nic's head spin.

He took a deep breath and looked away towards the ground between him and Charizard. "Meh. Stressed."

Erza stepped by his side and sat down by him. She looked at him, seeing that he certainly hasn't been feeling himself. She tried thinking of something to cheer him up, but little options came to mind.

"We've officially made a team made up of me, Happy, Natsu, Gray, and Lucy." Erza said. "Our next job is heading off to Lupinus. Care to join, there's room for one more."

As much as Nic would love to spend more time with the guys, especially Erza, he couldn't help but feel tired. He just needed to sleep.

Nic looked at her and frowned. "I'll pass. Thanks though. Maybe next time."

Erza could see that Nic wasn't going to do much, this fighting was stressing him out. He needed more rest than any other member. She looked down at her lap and stared into space, thinking of another way to cheer him up.

An idea then came to her. She wasn't exactly certain as to whether or not it would benefit them both, but it was better than seeing him sulk from stress. She got up and looked down at him.

"Nic, how about we battle?" Erza suggested. Nic raised a brow, thinking how could she think of such a thing. The time was decent, and the place was big enough, but of all the people to fight, it just had to be Nic. Nic looked up at her in some sort of surprise.

"Eh, say you say what now?" Nic asked. Charizard got up from looking at the sky and looked over at the two, thinking this could get interesting.

Erza put on a smile. "I don't see why not. It'll get you out of that mood I see. Plus the fact that I've been meaning to see what strength you possess." She was looking pretty serious. It was true. She has been meaning to test Nic and his strength. If he could defeat a Wizard Saint, then he should have no trouble being on par with Erza; of course, you should also take into account that it was mostly a two on one brawl. She wondered how Nic would do on his own.

Nic was having trouble deciding what to do. Too many things were rushing into his brain at the moment, like how could he hurt the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, and how can he fight her if he had just defeated Jose not even a week ago. Then again, Erza did bring up a fair point. Testing his strength against her's would be a great way to get his mind off of the stress that's been piling up on his shoulders.

After a brief pause, he smiled and got up. "I guess you're right. It might as well knock me out of my stress. I can also see if I can beat an S-Class goddess with the same amount of effort I put in with Jose." Nic then picked up on something he said, mainly the word 'goddess'. Upon realizing he called her a goddess, he covered his mouth and silently cursed at himself. Charizard chuckled at Nic's behavior, but saw that Erza was turning away and went red to the face. She tried to hide her blush from Nic, which Charizard also found slightly amusing, but he realized that the two were about to quarrel and had to get them both to realize that as well.

"Okay, enough making a scene you two," Charizrd said. "You guys are going to battle, meaning that you better be treating each other like opponents." He had a point. Upon realizing that this was indeed true, Nic and Erza both shook off the embarrassment of their actions and looked at each other in the eyes, but these were gazes of serious competitors.

Feeling or no feelings, this was a battle. Nic had to disregard his feelings for her and consider her as an opponent. Same went for Erza.

The news spread faster than Jet's High Speed. Within minutes, all of the guild members surrounded the two as they were going to clash. They were doing it near the construction site, but it was on the leveled ground. If any damage were to happen, they could just rebuild.

"Well, now we'll see who's better, Nic or Erza." Gray said, finally having some clothes on this time. Natsu was looking, seeing who would come out on top. He wish he was fighting her again, but was somewhat curious as to what Nic could do as well.

"Man, that should be me up there." Natsu mumbled. Happy flew right next to him.

"You were destroyed last time, don't you think that you should take it easy?" Happy complained. Try explaining the phrase "taking it easy" to Natsu, it's not possible. No matter what, this was Nic's fight now.

Charizard proceeded between the two, getting ready to referee. "I expect a clean fight. The battle between Nic and Erza will now begin. This will be a one on one match, and the battle will be over when one side is unable to continue.

Nic and Erza both were ready to begin. Now the two were about ready.

"Don't expect me to show any mercy." Nic warned, thinking this might actually be fun. At least he wasn't stressing.

Erza requiped into her Black Wing Armor and held up her jagged sword. "I know not the meaning of mercy." She said with a grin. Nic responded by changing into his Dread Plate Form.

"This is a tough call. I don't know who to root for." Lucy said.

"Nic's got this. He hasn't failed me yet." Cana said with a grin before chugging down a barrel of booze, her eight one today.

"Let the battle begin!" Charizard shouted, now bringing his arm down and quickly getting out of the way. Almost instantly, Nic and Erza went right into each other. Erza was about to slash at him when Nic disappeared. She then turned around and anticipated his strike, seeing how he used Feint Attack to get out of Laxus's choke hold. She then brought her sword around and then Nic reappeared and had struck the back of the blade. The two attacks collided, both sides then backed away, now on opposite sides from when they started.

"**Night Slash!" **Nic then encased his arm in a darkaura with red outlining and he and Erza clashed once more. Since both were using forms that had high Attack power, it was hard to tell who was going to win; that is, until Nic played a trick in the form of Foul Play. He brushed away the sword by its edge, grabbed Erza, turned her around, and threw her. She skid as she tumbled before getting back to her feet in the process.

"Not bad." Erza admitted. "Now let's see how you fair against this!" She then flew in at high speed at Nic and started to slash. She was slashing in very swift motions as Nic was trying to dodge every strike. He couldn't keep up for long as Erza was becoming too fast for him. She was probably just as fast as Jose at her top speed, so Nic could read her movements fairly well with the experience in regards to speed movements. When he had found the right opportunity, he dodged right and used Knock Off, covering his arm in black sparks and swatting at Erza as she brought her sword to swing yet again, but was cut off when the sword flew out of her hand.

She watched as the sword flew out of her hand and clanged onto the ground. She flapped her wings and went back several feet to cover distance. Everyone was amazed. Nobody was quick enough to swat Erza's sword out of her hands.

"Nic's fast!" Mira exclaimed.

"Yeah. I haven't seen such speed since that quarrel with Jose." Gray said, now shirtless.

"Gray, clothes." Cana said. Gray then panicked and quickly tried to find his clothes as the battle progressed.

"Erza then grabbed her sword from the ground and pointed it at Nic. "I'm impressed. You're speed is remarkable. You were able to anticipate me faster than I could've imagined." Erza complimented. She specifically remembered Nic's speed and how fast he was during the battle with Jose. He was probably faster than her, if not equal.

"**Moon Flash!**" She then rushed at Nic, who was ready to attack. She then slashed at Nic in a cross pattern.

"**Night Daze!**" Nic shouted. He emanated a crimson aura and raised his arms above his head. He brought them down, creating a pink and crimson force field that expanded outwards that tied with Moon Flash. The two attacks then cancelled out the other, creating strong winds that made everyone cover up.

"WAAAHH!" Happy was clinging onto Lucy's shoulder as the wind was blowing him away.

"Man, they're cranking up the juice for this fight!" Natsu shouted as the wind ceased.

Erza then paused, as did Nic. Both sides have received no damage from the two attacks. Both sides then grinned at each other, very impressed with each other's skill set.

"Not bad. **Requip!**" Erza then glowed, revealing that she had transformed into a different armor. It had the resemblance of a cheetah. The breastplate had a cheetah pattern with some armor above it that had fur lining along the edges. The armor had revealing black shorts with a belt holding a cloth on Erza's left thigh. The arms had dark armbands reaching below her shoulders, with her left arm being protected by cheetah-patterned armor with a single pauldron and wide arm guard. Her legs had similar stockings that reached up to her thighs, with armor high-heeled boots, with the left being more armored and reaching up to the knee, which is protected by her cheetah-patterned knee guard; and so, that left the right boot reaching up to her calf. She had a collar and a tail hanging from the back of her shorts, and cheetah ears that were all plushy fur.

Nic then began repositioning himself for a more offensive approach.

"This is my Flight Armor. It increases my speed." She explained. Nic then awaited to use Night Slash, but was cut off guard when Erza was in front of him the next second.

'_Holy crap, she wasn't kidding!' _He didn't have any more room to think or mentally shout as she slashed at him with two swords, knocking him down and landing with a big thud on his back.

Everyone looked on in shock as Nic was being beaten in terms of speed, not to mention that the battle was escalating rather quickly.

"Oh wow! She was like a blur with spots!" Lucy exclaimed.

"That certain armor enhances her speed, making it a lot tougher for Nic." Mira explained.

"For a friendly battle to relieve Nic's stress, this is kind of getting out of hand." Levy said with a sweat drop.

Nic sat up and watched as Erza was awaiting for Nic to get up so that she could slash at him once again. He got to his feet and saw Erza positioning herself to strike.

"Time to change dynamics." Nic muttered. He jumped into the air and started to glow. He then shifted into his Sky Plate Form and took off into air. Erza began chasing after him and leaped after him. She was at the same elevation as he was and she tried slashing away. Nic, however, had the advantage in the air and used Gust to blow her away, also making her fall to the ground. She landed and skid along the field, regaining her balance and then saw Nic readying his assault.

"**Air Cutter!**" Nic then unleashed a barrage of wind-slicing energy waves at Erza. She swiftly shifted left and right, jumping about as she avoided the onslaught of Air Cutter attacks. She then leaped upwards and made a cross from her swords. Nic countered with himself using Wing Attack to intercept. Both attacks cancelled out as both backed away, with Erza landing safely and Nic descending to a lower altitude.

Nic was indeed having fun. For some reason, he found this more comforting because no one's life was at risk. It was relaxing, yet still painful, but it's not like he cared or anything. This also counted as a way with interacting with Erza. He got to know her as a very capable fighter. Her perception was impeccable and her sword strikes were powerful, not to mention her speed was way up thanks to that armor. He had to catch up to her speed, and he knew just how to do so.

"**Tailwind!**" Suddenly, Nic was enveloped in strong wind that was almost pushing him forward. He flapped continuously as the wind picked up, making him gain speed. "Let's go!"

Erza then dashed, and Nic flew close to the ground at the same speed, if not faster. Everyone had a hard time keeping track of them as they were dashing like crazy. Erza went at Nic with a multitude of slashes, as to where Nic evasively got of the way and countered with Aerial Ace, colliding often, as well as Acrobatics. For Acrobatics, it actually got the best of Erza as moved ever so nimbly that her swords didn't keep up and Nic had send her soaring and crashing after a good backhand of an Acrobatics.

Now everyone was stunned to see Nic keeping up with Erza's speed and actually winning. Erza was indeed S-Class, and Nic was keeping up with someone who had more combat experience than he did, yet he's been in battles before, as a Trainer that is, so he knew all of the angles when it came to battling.

"**Drill Peck!**" A glowing spear-like energy encased Nic's mouth and he rotated at high speed towards her. Erza wasted no time in countering with a sword strike. Sparks literally flew as Nic drilled into the sword. The two people, of whom were somewhat smitten with the other, kept their ground affirm as Nic tried overpowering, instead the sword began to crack and Erza jumped back as Nic followed through with the attack, hitting her on the side. She kept her position in a more defensive manner, as to where Nic soared passed her and swatted her with a Wing Attack from behind. She jumped and evaded the assault, but that left her open in mid-air for Nic to strike with Aerial Ace. Erza saw as Nic zoomed in and past her, hitting her in less than two seconds. She straightened out and landed on the ground and was on one knee, panting. Nic descended to the ground and was beginning to puff out some air as well. His Tailwind had just worn off as well. He was being put through his paces as well.

Some people were just unable to find the words.

"Titania is being beaten by Luminous." "Those two are equal." "I can't believe that those two are at an even match with one another."

Erza then got up on both her feet and grinned. "I'm very impressed Nic. Your skill in battle is clearly advance and should not be underestimated." She complimented. She was having fun as well. You could tell because she was still grinning while huffing and puffing. Nic was the same. Both then did one last change.

Nic glowed and transformed into his Meadow Plate Form. Erza requiped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. This was where things were going to heat up to an intense level.

"Oh man, now I really wish that were me out there!" Natsu whined.

"Your fight didn't even last two minutes." Happy pointed out.

Erza then took flight, with two swords in hand and a whole wheel of them circling around her. Erza made a battle cry as she and Nic went at one another again. Nic dashed forward with Leaf Blade at the ready. It was time to pit blade against blade.

Erza then slashed in an arc that Nic ducked from. He sprung upwards and attempted an upward Leaf Blade with his right arm. Erza intercepted by angling her other sword and making it collide with Leaf Blade. Nic then took a few steps back and lunged forward with his right arm back and swiped across, and Erza did a double-sword cross and blocked the assault. Nic took a baby step back and leaped into air and came down with the Leaf Blade in the form of a chop this time. He brought his right arm down and Erza intercepted with her two swords in the form of a cross to defend. She had yet to see Nic use his left armed Leaf Blade as he twisted his body and went in a crouch position upon landing for a swift half second before bringing his left armed Leaf Blade in an upward chop, knocking Erza's two swords out of her hands.

Every guild member's jaw dropped as Erza's swordsmanship was on par with Nic's usage of the Plates. For battling by himself, Nic was doing just fine.

Nic backed away and Erza flew upwards and summoned two more swords in place of the ones that were knocked out of her hands. She then grinned at Nic.

"I am very pleased as to how you can manipulate sword moves as well." Erza said.

Nic shrugged and smiled. "There's a lot of sword-like moves, but this one in particular is one of my favorites because it can do critical hits much more easily."

Erza then had the swords around her beginning to dance. They all made a tower around her that was rotating blades clockwise, counterclockwise, and clockwise on the upper part. It somewhat obscure Nic's vision of her, with her armor matching the color of the swords and all.

Nic had to take a risk. He ran ahead a readied another Leaf Blade. He then slashed in a sideways angle, another sideways angle, and a double chop Leaf Blade to finally break through the tower of swords. The swords scattered about in the air as Nic passed through, and Erza was out of sight. Nic was wide eyed as Erza wasn't anywhere. Everyone almost stepped back in surprise, but realized that they're not the ones fighting her.

Nic then turned his head to see that the blades from the tower slowly went upwards and they all shifted their pointed edged and each and every one of them was aimed at Nic. Nic didn't even have time to fully turn around when they all rained down on him. Nic yelped as swords past him and damaged him to a critical degree. They all then angle above and arced upwards and came to a full circle around Erza, of whom was descending from the height she soared to make that attack work.

"Do you concede?" Erza asked him as she softly landed, but she knew his answer all too well. Nic got up fom the ground with a grunt and positioned himself to attack once more. Erza then flew in at Nic as he jumped and used Razor Leaf. Erza had no trouble slicing through Erza leaf and closing in on Nic. Nic almost swallowed when Erza held up her swords in a delta formation.

'_Oh crud! I need to cut her off from using that attack!' _Nic thought. He then glowed white and puffs of cotton appeared and then disappeared, making Nic's body glow blue for a good moment just before Erza slashed her delta formation at him.

"**Trinity Sword!**" She then slashed at Nic and had him plummet to the ground in a dust cloud. The cloud quickly vanished as it revealed that Nic was still able to stand. He got up and cracked his back. Erza looked on in surprise as Nic was recovering from her attack. Erza descended and pointed her swords at him once more.

"You seem to have increased your stamina. No one has survived my Trinity Sword attack." Erza noted.

"You can thank Cotton Guard for that." Nic said. He then lunged at her with Needle Arm acting like a mace when Erza went in and slashed past him. Both sides had received some sort of damage in the blink of an eye and no one noticed. They were then stopped by the scene of Erza's swords following through with her attack, via Blumenblatt. Nic yelped as the swords went past him and he fell to the ground, feeling drained. He couldn't even stand on his own two feet.

Erza turned back and saw Nic barely able to stand. She frowned as she considered herself overdoing it, but then again, when doesn't she? She turned ad began to walk away, but stopped and went wide eyed as she saw Nic getting back up."

"I'm not…gonna give up…not ever."Nic struggled to say. Everyone was in awe as Nic began to stand back up. They've seen the great Titania fight before, but not a single person could last this lng against her. It was too amazing. "I WON'T QUIT!" Nic proclaimed.

Erza was almost taken by Nic's will to keep going. He certainly was impressive to her. Taking two major attacks and still being able to stand was no easy picnic, but she knew Nic wasn't going to fall unless she pull out more tricks from her sleeves, or in this case, swords.

She turned to look at Nic and grinned. "I see you've got Natsu's stubborn side. That gives you an incredible amount of stamina. You are the only one to stand after those attacks. Now, let's keep going!"

Erza then flew forward at Nic and stopped when she was twenty feet away. Nic readied a Leaf Blade and watched in a defensive manner as Erza had summoned forth roughly forty or so more swords. She then made the blades dance sort of speak. She made them make a large circle around Nic. Now swords were circling about him in high speed. Fortunately, thanks to his Meadow Plate Form, his senses were enhanced, making him react faster than usual. He then saw a shadow of Erza in a particular direction, and from that direction came a blast of swords. Nic pivoted and slashed at the oncoming swords. He managed to deflect and intercept every one of them. He then saw the shadow in another direction outside the circle and unleashed more swords at Nic, of whom could sense it. He slashed away and managed to knock them all away again.

"Whoa! Nic is awesome!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Yeah, no kidding. Using that form is pretty amazing if you ask me." Gray noted.

Nic kept seeing the shadow appear and reappear in another direction and kept dodging swords and slashed at a few that were coming rather close. He didn't have any room to make a counterattack as the swords didn't dial down.

Nic then remembered a similar situation like this and had the memory flood back into his brain.

_He had finally reached Coumarine City and had just gotten off of the train that had the city split into a northern and southern end. Once he had set foot into the Pokémon Center, he immediately went to heal his pokémon and lie down. Sure he was in great shape from the traveling he's been doing, but that doesn't mean he isn't allowed to be tired. _

_The next day, he went to check out the gym. The gym itself was embedded into a super large tree, the largest tree in all of Coumarine City to be more precise. The sides had lead up to a battlefield at the top. What was also strange was that there was also a small lace there as well._

_Nic saw a small old man with his eyes shut, he had on a green hat and had super large scissors. He had a red scarf around his neck and had green shoes, which was topped with black overalls. There was a belt that held his giant scissors. He had a green shirt with black buttons on as well._

_Nic walked up to the man and saw him having tea in a chair at a table in the small place. The old man looked content with his tea. Nic didn't want to disturb him, but had to know if he was the gym leader._

"_Hey, sorry to disturb you." Nic said. The man had just finished sipping his tea and looked at Nic. "Do you happen to know if this is the Coumarine Gym?"_

_The old man turned at Nic and smiled. He was rather happy with Nic's manners. He got up slowly and began taking steps forward. "Why indeed. This is in fact the Coumarine Gym. A pleasure. I am Ramos." He explained. Nic nodded and both walked up to the other. Nis was now in front of Ramos and looking down at him._

_Ramos looked up at him. "So, I do believe that you have come to challenge me, yes?"_

_Nic nodded; however, he didn't think it would do any good to do a battle with him in the middle of having some special tea. He didn't want to be a bother and thought that it would be best to come back later since he was just checking out the place. _

"_To be honest, I had no idea that you were having tea. Sorry to disturb you. I came to check the place out so I know what I would be dealing with. I'll take my leave if you wish." Nic didn't have anything against others or their desires or needs, unless of course they were really messed up, then he would step in._

_Ramos shook his head, still having an innocent smile. "Now, now. Don't trouble yourself. Sit down and have some tea, it's pretty healthy and gives you energy to last for a few days." _

_Nic shrugged and decided why not. He then joined Ramos in having some tea, sipping the liquid slowly. It was pretty delicious, though Nic despised tea, though he did it out of courtesy. It didn't hurt to drink it, but just this once was pleasant enough_

_Nic had a sense of patience, so he didn't rush anything. He did drink all of his tea pretty fast though. Ramos chuckled at his actions._

"_You like it?" He asked_

_Nic made a thinking face as he did consider it quite pleasant. He nodded. "It was delicious, thank you."_

_Ramos chuckled. "Now that that's out of the way, would you mind helping me with something?" Upon hearing that he needed help, Nic had no desire to turn away from those in need._

"_Sure." Nic said. Ramos then explained that he needed assistance in tending to his plants that were growing on the side of the gym. Nic helped out, though he had it rough. He's never gardened before, so he was just cutting weeds here and there._

_Ramos saw this action and went over to him after he had cut an unwanted vine from a grape plant. "Easy whippersnapper. I take it that you're new to this, yes?"_

_Nic looked up and took his trimmers away from the weeds. "Uh, yeah." Ramos then went over and revealed to Nic a tiny plant that was sprouting around weeds. Ramos uncovered it and showed it to Nic. If Nic hadn't been so observant, he could've cut the plant as well._

"_It's okay. It's not easy, especially if it's your first time. It's the little details that you should pay attention to. If you only focus on what's in front of you, you lose sight of what is really you're prime objective. _

_In Ramos's case, it would be making the plant have room to grow. For Nic, that was a moral lesson that he had applied only a few times._

It was time to apply that quote again. Nic had to be aware that his target was Erza, not the swords. The swords were obscuring his vision of her, and he had to focus on just her.

'_I can do this.'_ Nic inhaled and then exhaled. He relied only on his senses to detect Erza. He closed his eyes and listened, heard, and tried to locate Erza from where he was inside the sword barrier.

Everyone there was confused.

Gray was a bit angry. "What the heck is he doing? Is he giving up?"

Natsu was with him on this one. "Come on Nic, don't burn out yet!" They were both to clueless to realize what he was doing. Mira and Lucy could easily see that Nic was relaxing and focusing.

Nic was brushed left and right with swords coming his way. Though Leaf Blade was still active, he took it while relaxing and zeroing in on Erza. He stepped as he took each blow, which was a count of three. Going to his right, then left. Then right again. Of course he felt pain, but it's not like he paid attention to it.

After ten extra seconds, he shot his eyes wide open. He found her. He then lunged forward and saw more swords flying at him. With precision and speed, he slashed and intercepted each sword. He did a battle cry as he went in for his attack. He didn't slow down as he knocked every sword out of his way without getting hit once. He then darted his way into the barrier of swords, much to the entire guild's shock.

"Is he trying to cut himself?!" Gray shouted.

"Nic!" Lucy shouted.

Inside, Nic crossed his arms and made his Leaf Blade in the shape of an X. He then slashed with full speed and strength and completely destroyed the sword barrier, knocking every sword out of his way. Everyone there, including Erza, was beyond surprised to see Nic able to get to Erza like that. Everyone was even more surprised when Nic leaped into the air and saw now directly under the sun's rays as it caught Erza off guard with her barrier shot down like that.

Nic did a battle cry as he slashed with his left and then right. Nobody saw it as Nic posed behind Erza. After a couple seconds, Erza screamed as she then felt the pain and dust flew about. Parts of her armor shattered, mainly one of the feather lobes on her head band, part of her wings, and a tiny bit of her skirt was torn. Erza stepped back as the dust cleared, she felt that one for sure as she grunted.

"I don't believe it!" Lucy shouted.

"Aye, Nic is actually beating Erza!" Happy shouted. Erza then turned back and then flew in to Nic. Nic looked back and jumped to avoid her as she charged straight through and failed to slash at him. She stopped and turned to see Nic unleashing an Energy Ball at her from above. She pivoted and slashed at it with her sword, cutting the attack in two and making it explode behind her. She then summoned forth her swords that were used to make the barrier. Nic landed and watched as she made them spin.

"Dance, my blades!" She then flew up and all of her swords started rotating around her like a wheel. They were then pointed at Nic. "**Circle Sword!**" She then forced all of those blades at Nic. Nic didn't pay any attention as he was trying to keep his focus on Erza only. He then sharpened his gaze and then lunged forward as the blades came rushing at him.

"**Power Whip!**" He then charged straight for her right through the blades. He made his arm turn purple and extend. He then lashed sideways and at consecutive angles as he charge all the way. Power Whip wasn't called that for nothing, as the force behind each and every lash made a large bashing sound.

Nic then got in close and Erza lunged with two swords at the ready. Both were coming in fast at one another. Everyone was about to fall over on the tips of their toes from the anticipation.

"**Trinity Sword!**" Erza then requiped to a single sharp sword that was ready to strike. S Nic came ever so closer, he ceased his Power Whip and went back to Leaf Blade. He sharpened his eye site even more now, now making his strikes more precise. He then added a twist to things. In conjunction with his Leaf Blade, he had Needle Arm in his left arm, while Leaf Blade was his right.

Erza's Trinity Sword and Nic's Needle Arm collided. Nic kept up his endurance as the Trinity Sword was trying to overpower him, but his Needle Arm was not backing down. With everything he had, he had his forearm facing the delta formation, which also had a straight row of sharp needles, and slashed downwards, cutting the formation into two that went past Nic, much like his Energy Ball when Erza had cut it.

Everyone's heart skipped a beat when Nic then lunged at her and used Leaf Blade in a downward angle, then an upward angle, and then a quick swipe downwards. The blows caused Erza to scream as she almost collapsed. She was hit pretty hard, but she didn't have the defenses or reaction when Nic did a point blank Energy Ball, causing a very large green explosion. The ground shook a little and everyone yelped from the sudden blow.

"Whoa! What power!" Lucy exclaimed. When the dust cleared, Nic was breathing ever so heavily, having exhausted a huge amount of his power and was almost ready to collapse. Erza was lying on the ground, with large parts of her wings shattered, her head band was destroyed, bits of her breastplate chipped off, her entire skirt was torn up, and her sword that she used for the Trinity Sword attack was broken. She grunted as she couldn't even stand.

That was that. Charizard then raised his claw for Nic's side. "Erza is unable to continue, the winner of this battle is Nic!" He called. Everyone was in deep shock now. They were just lost. The great and mighty Titania, defeated by Luminous. As soon as a few people got over their initial shocks, they clapped in congrats of Nic's victory.

"Way to go!" Gray said, clapping for him.

"Yeah, that battle was awesome!" Lucy said with a proud smile and clapping the same as Gray. Natsu still had his jaw dropped, stunned to see that Nic had defeated Erza on his first try.

"What a showoff!" Complained the hotheaded Dragon Slayer. "Now I've gotta keep up with him now! You and me pal, right now!" Natsu stepped forward with a fist ready to fight. As he was approaching, Nic tumbled down onto the ground, wheezing and face turning pale from too much exhaustion.

"I don't think he'll be up for a while now." Lucy said with a sweat drop. Natsu grumbled and just walked back to where he was, disappointed. Nic had been in the guild for only a short while, but he's already made some great promise within people.

Erza requiped back into her usual armor, now conscious once again. She got to her feet and wasn't at all upset about her loss. Yes, it was a deep shock, but it proved how much promise that Nic had in the future.

Speaking of which, she looked and saw Nic panting while on one knee. He looked like he could keel over at any second. Erza looked down and knelt to him so that they were at eye level. The guild was in awe that Erza was taking this loss quite well. Normally, she would be asking for punishment and failure, but she wasn't at all like this.

"Nic, you did great. You're amazing." Erza said with a smile. She was banged up as well, but not as severe as was Nic. Nic still won, but he was in pain. Still in his Meadow Plate Form, he used Synthesis and his body was glowing with sparkles. The guild saw Nic's wounds slowly healing, and he looked much more alive than he was several seconds ago.

After a full twenty seconds of recharging, he changed back into himself and smiled back at Erza. "Thanks. You were amazing yourself." Though Synthesis didn't fully heal him, he was in good enough condition to be going about and talking. It sure was one heck of a battle. Erza was right about him being les stressed, he most certainly did look better now that his mind wasn't fixated on dilemmas. The two gazed at each other in amazement for a few moments before they each started to get a light blush in. When they both saw each other reacting as they were, they both looked away and the guild gathered around the two for compliments.

"Oh man, that was crazy!" Macao said. "Those blade attacks from Nic were insane."

"To think he could beat Erza. He's a real man for that." Elfman said.

Cana went over and patted Nic on the back. "Not too shabby there. You might make S-Class sooner than you think champ!" She blurted out.

Charizard then went over and he and Nic fist bumped.

"You got some sick skills there buddy." Charizard said.

"Tell me something I don't know." Nic responded with a smirk.

"Erza liiiikes you." Happy butted in with a roll of the tongue, answering Nic's question.

Erza then glared at Happy like she was about to skin him alive. "What did you say?"

Happy then tried flying away, but Erza caught him way too easily. She then proceeded elsewhere to give the cat a lesson as to why he had to keep comments like that to himself.

Everyone else just paid attention and gathered around a now healed Nic. They all kept on praising him for his strength and how he managed to take on an S-Class Mage on his own, though he took a toll and was drained afterwards. Everyone then just celebrated for Nic's growth and the pride and joy he was in Fairy Tail.

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><p><strong>In the shadows…<strong>

Unknown to everyone in Fairy Tail, a figure was hiding among the shadows a safe distance away and out of site from them all. He witnessed everything with mild interest, though gritting his teeth seeing how brutal Nic has gotten since that incident in Freesia. His demon superiors from Tartaros has tasked him to keep a watchful eye out on Fairy Tail, since that was the guild that had caught their attention.

After the incident in Freesia not too long ago, he was to ensure that mistakes like those didn't repeat in the future. They had big plans after all, and they wanted no one interfering with their proceedings, especially a certain individual that could cause them to suffer again in the future.

"Nic Pularis." The man quietly said. He grinned ever so devilishly. "What do you have in store for us? I wonder."

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><p><strong>Aaaaannnnnnd done. My god, I overdid it this chapter! No joke, I was well over 16K when I finished! The fight with Jose, then the aftermath, and then another battle! <strong>

**Hope you guys didn't mind the length of the chapter, but I hope you're not too upset with how this chapter went. Sure, Erza could've requiped into a more deadly armor, but this was meant to be friendly, not deadly. I really hope you guys don't leave comments on how bad the fight with Nic and Erza went, but I wanted to get that out of the way so I didn't have to worry about writing that in the future.**

**I hope you guys liked how Nic and Greninja's fight with Jose ended. Hope you leave positive comments on said brawl. And hopefully on his fight with Erza as well.**

**Ugh. I'm beat. I'm running a tad low on ideas, so I'll be shifting over to my other story for a bit until I can stockpile on some material for this series. I got an Original Arc to do and then The Tower of Heaven. To be honest, I only got the name of the next chapter, so feel free to supply me with ideas for an Original Arc.**

**I've put some thought into it, and I've decided. I know I said I wouldn't include ORAS or anything related in the story, but since I've started playing it a little bit, I am willing to make an exception on Nic having Dragon Ascent as a Legendary Arts when in his Sky Plate Form.**

**Please Favorite, Follow, & Review if you guys enjoyed this chapter and/or story up to this point.**

**If you guys can't wait for Nic's last pokémon, then just shoot me a PM and promise me that you won't tell a soul when I say it to you. **

**Please Review this chapter! Feedback on my fights would be really appreciated.**

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><p><strong>Next Time: The Scarlet Fever<strong>


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